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.

Emphatic structures; Oklahoma tornado; stereotypes; Lonely Planet

Hi there!

You might not believe it, but we've nearly had a month of lessons already!

Today I post our first entry in the blog. I'll regularly try to post a brief summary of what we've been doing in the lessons but, most importantly, I'll publish extra material with which you can practise at home and expand what we do in class.

We've already finished Unit 1 about cities, and now we've just started Unit 2, on culture and identity. We've learnt plenty of vocabulary, and we've also revised perfect tenses and emphatic structures. If you want more information on the latter, please check this link.


In Unit 1 we watched a video about recovery after a natural disaster. I post it below in case you might want to watch it again:




We also had a session on urban legends. Check the video below about the 25 most popular urban legends still being told!



In Unit 2 we've already done some interesting activities on stereotypes and the relationship between language, culture and identity.

Here I post a video about how Madrid is described in the Lonely Planet guide. Do you agree with the image given of the Spanish capital city?





Have a great weekend and see you on Tuesday!

Revision of tenses; personality adjectives; relationships

Hi everyone!

Here you have the first entry of the year! I'll regularly post a summary of what we've done in class but, most importantly, I'll also post extra material to consolidate and to expand what we do in the lessons.

We've already advanced quite a lot and are almost finishing Unit 1! These days we've been revising tenses, question formation and auxiliaries. As for vocabulary, we've talked about relationships and also personality.

If you want to continue revising English tenses, try the following exercises online:

• Revision of tenses 1: here you have exercises with pairs of tenses (present simple vs. present continuous; past simple vs. past continuous; past simple vs. past perfect, etc).

• Revision of tenses 2: here you have a gapped text which combines all tenses.

• Revision of tenses 3: here you have gapped sentences which combine all tenses.

Below you have some other useful personality adjectives!

Taken from www.englishpage.com

Finally, here I post two listenings about relationships, and also a video about "how to prepare your relationship for a baby":

• Listening 1: First date

• Listening 2: Meeting singles

• Video: Click here for some activities before you watch the video. You mainly have vocabulary and expressions. Then watch the video below and take this quiz!

For next Wednesday remember you have to write a composition:

How has my life changed in the last 10 years? Include aspects related to:

• Appearance
• Personality
• Work or Studies
• Hobbies
• Family & friends

250 words; Times New Roman, 12; 1.5 interlining; deadline 16th Oct 23.59h

Have a nice weekend and see you on Monday!
Ana.

The Magic E (pronunciation)

Today I wanted to post two "songs" which are used in schools in English speaking countries to show the pronunciation effect of silent <e> at the end of words. We talked a bit about this in Advanced Level 1 A; I'll comment on it in the CAL group next week.




They're songs for children, I know... But they're rather catchy! And they can help you too! :)

February: Week 1

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about a video recorded at Utah State University about this topic ("Why men and women cannot be friends"). It's in English with subtitles in Spanish, so check it out! I'm sure you'll find it very funny :)


On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

Negative prefixes; why men & women can't be friends

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about a video recorded at Utah State University about this topic ("Why men and women cannot be friends"). It's in English with subtitles in Spanish, so check it out! I'm sure you'll find it very funny :)






On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

February: Week 1

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 6, and started Unit 7 a little bit.

On Tuesday we corrected the photocopy about family and friends, and you discussed some questions in pairs. Apart from those questions, I asked you if you believed that boys and girls could be friends, and just friends.

After that, I told you about a video recorded at Utah State University about this topic ("Why men and women cannot be friends"). It's in English with subtitles in Spanish, so check it out! I'm sure you'll find it very funny :)


On Wednesday and Friday we had your oral presentations. Thank you very much for your effort, and for sharing some important episodes of your life with the rest of your classmates, and with me. It's a real pleasure listening to you :)

On Wednesday we also worked with negative prefixes (prefixes to form opposite words). Click here for an online exercise to praticse a little bit more! And here you have a very good list of adjectives with their corresponding prefix. Very useful! (Note that the adjective "satisfied" can have to opposites: "unsatisfied" and "dissatisfied").

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we've just updated (actualizado) all the useful links in the School's website. Please, find some time to check them and decide which ones work for you. They are clearly organised into different sections, so you can find what you're looking for more easily. Below you have a snapshot (captura de pantalla) of some of them.

You can find all of them on the right, in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos en línea de inglés" (the URL address is: http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-en-linea-de-ingles).

See you this afternoon!

Wikileaks; Bowling for Columbine; Sicko; Gandhi quotes

Hi everyone!

Last week we continued with Unit 5 and we've practically finished it by now.

On Tuesday we talked about Wikileaks (Unit 5.3. in your books). Click here for a newspaper article from The Guardian in which Assange, the founder of the website, criticises and attacks the new WikiLeaks film which is to be released shortly.

For the students in 5º CAL,  here I leave you with the link to the CLIL (AICLE in Spanish) materials I showed you in class. I hope you find them helpful and manage to implement them in your classrooms:

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/educacion/webportal/web/aicle/contenidos/

On Thursday I gave you back your compositions which, as I said in class, were astoundingly good this time. Congratulations on your work. The example of a problem-solution essay that you had in your books was about "gun control". Below I post the documentary "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), by Michael Moore, which explore the causes for the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and other acts of violence with guns. It's veritably insightful (rated with an 8,0 in IMDB).

The video is in English with subtitles in Spanish:



There is an even more interesting documentary by Michael Moore about the American health system (rated with an 8,1 in IMDB). It is entitled "Sicko", a wordplay between the words "sick" and "psycho". I strongly recommend you to watch it, as it offers a comprehensive overview of how the health system currently functions in the US. You can watch it online by clicking on the link below:

http://www.documentarywire.com/sicko

And, finally, here I leave you with some famous Gandhi quotes. As  you know, the 30th of January is the International Day of Peace, a date which was precisely chosen to commemorate Gandhi's death. We had some time to work with them in 5ºCAL, but not in 5ºA, so here you have them:

Mahatma Gandhi Quotes by ana_uk877884

For homework, remember to do the Grammar Bank corresponding to the passive voice (Unit 5.2.) and the section devoted to phrasal verbs/multi-word verbs.

Enjoy your weekend :)

Ana.

Units 4 and 5; Useful links

Hi there!

As they say in English... better late than never! :)

In this entry I leave you with some online activities to revise what we do in class, and also some websites that can especially help you with your listening.

When we came back from Christmas we finished Unit 4, where we talked about films, music and TV. About grammar, we learnt how to use the Present Perfect. Here you have a text about Loch Ness that you have to complete using this this tense. Check it out!

And here you have three tests where you can revise the present perfect:

• Test 1
• Test 2
• Test 3

In Unit 5 we've talked about the future (predictions and plans), and we have learnt how to use will, may, might and be going to. Please, revise all the exercises we have done in class, and also do your workbook. Thank you.

USEFUL LINKS

I wanted to tell you that I have just found a very useful website with videos adapted to our level. Here I leave you the first video of the series. I'm sure you can understand a lot!! And, of course, you can continue with the next videos at home!

If you like learning English with songs, there is a website called www.subingles.com. There you can listen to lots of songs with the lyrics in front of you and, besides, many of them also have online activities! You have different songs classified according to their level of difficulty:

When you click on a song, it starts playing and the website also suggests other subtitled songs by the same artist. You also have the possibility of listening to songs with activities.

And, finally, I leave you with another website called www.esl-lab.com, where you can do lots of different listenings. You can choose the type of activity you want (questions or filling gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you've had a very nice weekend, and I'll see you tomorrow in class!
Ana.

Units 4 and 5; Useful links

Hi there!

As they say in English... better late than never! :)

In this entry I leave you with some online activities to revise what we do in class, and also some websites that can especially help you with your listening.

When we came back from Christmas we finished Unit 4, where we talked about films, music and TV. About grammar, we learnt how to use the Present Perfect. Here you have a text about Loch Ness that you have to complete using this this tense. Check it out!

And here you have three tests where you can revise the present perfect:

• Test 1
• Test 2
• Test 3

In Unit 5 we've talked about the future (predictions and plans), and we have learnt how to use will, may, might and be going to. Please, revise all the exercises we have done in class, and also do your workbook. Thank you.

USEFUL LINKS

I wanted to tell you that I have just found a very useful website with videos adapted to our level. Here I leave you the first video of the series. I'm sure you can understand a lot!! And, of course, you can continue with the next videos at home!

If you like learning English with songs, there is a website called www.subingles.com. There you can listen to lots of songs with the lyrics in front of you and, besides, many of them also have online activities! You have different songs classified according to their level of difficulty:

When you click on a song, it starts playing and the website also suggests other subtitled songs by the same artist. You also have the possibility of listening to songs with activities.

And, finally, I leave you with another website called www.esl-lab.com, where you can do lots of different listenings. You can choose the type of activity you want (questions or filling gaps), and you have the transcription as well. Very useful!! :)

I hope you've had a very nice weekend, and I'll see you tomorrow in class!
Ana.

Introductory "it"; India; How can you tell if someone is lying?; "Imagine Dragons"

Hi everyone!

Since we came back from Christmas we've practically fully covered Unit 4, related to crime and punishment.

One of the first days we watched a video about the dramatic news of the incident occurred in India. If you wish you watch the video again to practise your listening, I post it below. Remember that you have the whole transcription, so you can check it as you listen, if necessary.






I'm pretty sure that most of you regularly check newspapers online, even if it's only for 10 minutes to check the headlines (titulares). Well, why not do so in English? Simply by flipping through the website you'll be doing 5-10 minutes of reading in English every day. Below I post several links to different newspapers and news channels online, also indicating if they are more oriented towards the left or the right wing. None is better than the other; simply choose the one you like best, or decide to check a different one every day, as you prefer:

1. Newspapers in the UK:

•  The Guardian: generally leftish and considered a serious newspaper.

•  The Times: it is the most varied newspaper in terms of political support. Many columnists are connected to the Conservative Party, but there are also more left-wing ones. In a 2009 national readership survey The Times was found to have the highest numbers of readers in London of any of the "quality" papers.

• The Independent: although it claims to be neutral, it is said to be a bit influenced by left-wing ideology. Some say that it is a serious rival for The Times.

•  The Daily Telegraph: it is considered the most openly right wing serious paper. It costs less and sells twice as many copies as any other paper. Its readers are frequently conservative.

•  The Daily Mirror (tabloid): it was the first paper to present strip cartoons. Ideologically, it showed a tendency to criticise the government in office at any time.

2. Newspapers in the USA:

• The New York Times, which has a moderate-left stance. Although its primary audience has always been the people of New York City, it has gradually become the dominant national "newspaper of record".

• The Wall Street Journal, which is moderate-right and strongly pro-business.

3. News channels:

• Reuters
• CNN
• BBC

As far as grammar is concerned, in this unit we covered "introductory/anticipatory it" and the perfect aspects. Please, remember that you have extra practice in your workbook, but here I also leave you with a powerpoint presentation which I'm sure you'll find useful:

Introductory it from Ana Bueno Amaro

Last week we started Unit 5, about secrets, lies and truths. So far it's turning out to be quite an interesting unit! Below I post the video we watched about "how to spot a liar". Be careful! Your body might give you away!



Finally, on Friday we devoted the session to talking about "time", "time bandits" and expressions related to time (make sure you get the copies). We ended the lesson with a song entitled "On top of the world", by Imagine Dragons. Quite uplifting!! Here you have it for those who couldn't come to class!

Keep up the good work, guys! :)

Week 19th - 23rd November: Culture; Thanksgiving

Hi everyone!

On Tuesday we discussed some intercultural experiences we had had, either in Spain or abroad, and which provided us with insights into other people's cultures, but also our own.




We also read a poem by John Godfrey Saxe's (1816-1887), a version of the famous Indian legend "The Elephant and the 6 Blind Men".

We also did a FCE listening, which proved to be a bit difficult... And, finally, we corrected the handout on metaphors.

On Thursday we corrected the text "Lonely Planet" and worked with some difficult vocabulary. We then focused on the first grammatical content of unit 3: Noun phrases (remember that complex noun phrases are particularly relevant for your writing). To end with, we corrected the Use of English.

In case you didn't know, Thursday was Thanksgiving. I had prepared an activity, but the projector broke down, so here I post the video so that you may watch it at home. It's from a very big (famous, trendy) programme in the States at the moment, called the EllenShow, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. Watch it and try to understand as much as you can.
  


For homework, do Grammar Bank 3.1 (theory + activities; 5º CAL also 6b in unit 3.1.), and prepare a short presentation about a photograph that is relevant for you. By all means, try to elaborate your language as much as possible. I remind you that we don't have "speaking exam" in December, so I have to evaluate you with the activities we do in class.

Have a nice weekend!

Week 12th - 16th November: reading, videos and Indian cuisine; Skyfall

Hi there!

As usual, here I post a summary of what we did last week along with some other complementary/extra material that you may find useful.

Last week we started Unit 3. We began talking about places and travelling, and discussed some sights that we thought were overrated. I've found a link on the Internet about the "10 most disappointing Attractions in Europe". Check it here!




We also did a listening about an anecdote on an air taxi (funny, yet still terrifying if we had been there!). On the Internet I found a video of a girl who had another "dangerous" situation with a taxi. Click here to watch it.

As promised, in 5ºA we finished with the song "Set fire to the rain". Here I leave you with a live version at the Royal Albert Hall:



On Thursday 5º CAL had normal class, and we eventually got round to doing the activity on the film "Skyfall". Here I leave you the first video, so that you can watch it again at home.



And here you have the interview with Javier Bardem:



During 5ºA's lesson time we attended a presentation by Susen Ahwulalia, a Londoner from Indian descent. It was absolutely superb, and we all learnt a lot about traditions and festivals in India!

Maybe you'd be surprised to know that she's actually an expert in Indian cuisine! If you are interested in cooking, visit her blog and check out a few Indian recipes! (Be careful not to get a "Delhi belly" though! haha).

Some pronunciation practice

Hi again!

Do you remember that at the end of unit 1 we saw the differences between the sounds /æ/ and /a:/? Well, here you have two videos to revise those sounds, and practise with some words!

Some pronunciation practice

Hi again!

Do you remember that at the end of unit 1 we saw the differences between the sounds /æ/ and /a:/? Well, here you have two videos to revise those sounds, and practise with some words!

Some pronunciation practice

Hi again!

Do you remember that at the end of unit 1 we saw the differences between the sounds /æ/ and /a:/? Well, here you have two videos to revise those sounds, and practise with some words!

"Big Bang Theory" - thanks to Elena Cavero

Hi again!

Can you remember that the other day we came up with different expressions using colours?

• To feel blue
• To be green
• To see red

Well, Elena from 5ºA has found this fragment from an episode of "Big Bang Theory" (hilarious series, by the way! Highly recommendable!), where they talk about the colour of lonely.

I'm not allowed to embed it here, but here you have the link. I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks, Elena!

Week 5th - 11th November: Child prodigies; Españasmus

Hi! How's the weekend going? I hope you are making the most of it! :)

In this entry you have a brief summary of what we've done in class this week, together with some other interesting material you might find useful. This week we've mainly focused on speaking and listening, although we've done a little bit of grammar as well: like and as and collocations in 5º CAL; expressing opinion in 5º A. (Please, note that I cover the same areas with both groups, but sometimes on different days).

On Tuesday we "played" a funny game where you had to decide who had to jump from the hot air balloon. I can't yet believe some of you even volunteered!! haha. On Thursday we also started with a speaking activity with cards. Some of the questions were rather controversial, and we held a heated debate on some of them.

On Thursday we also discussed the topic of nature (/ˈneɪtʃə(r)/) vs. nurture (/ˈnɜːtʃə/) and we watched a documentary about Vanessa-Mae, a child prodigy with the violin -remember that you can watch it again at home with the CD at the end of your book-.

The other day I watched this video about three brothers who are undoubtedly gifted in instruments as well! "The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys" they're called. Check it out!




Finally, here you have a newspaper article from the magazine "TIME" entitled "The downside of being a child prodigy". Do you agree with what it says?



As for Friday, thanks so much to the people that came. I truly appreciate your attendance :) In both groups we worked in a writing workshop, which we'll finish next Tuesday. Little by little during the year we'll do different types of exercises to help you with the difficult task of writing.

In 5º CAL we worked with a song, and in 5ºA we did an activity about "Skyfall", the last Bond film. I'll post the videos next week, when I've done the two activities in both groups :)

For homework, do the copy about "metaphors" and the FCE reading.

Finally, today I wanted to post this video that a friend shared on Facebook the other day. It's a Vodafone commercial based on how the Spanish get on with the Erasmus students.

 

To be honest, I find the video quite funny, but... isn't it time we broke the stereotype that the Spanish can't learn a foreign language? Please, feel free to post a comment below with your impressions. Thank you!

Videos so far: Baumgartner; Bullying; "Friends"

Hi again!

I've been thinking and I don't consider it worthwhile to post everything we've been doing during the past few weeks, but at least I wanted you to have the videos we've watched in class, so that you may watch them again at home.


The first one we saw was the one about Felix Baumgartner. Click here to watch it online.









The other one we have watched so far is the one about bullying. Click here to watch it again.










Finally, for Halloween we watched an episode from "Friends". It was episode 6 from season 8. You can watch it online at www.cuevana.tv.








From now onwards I'll do my best to write regularly and provide you with extra material to reinforce, complement and expand what we do in class. And, as I said in my previous entry, you're more than welcome to contribute as well :)

Enjoy what is left of the bank holiday and see you on Tuesday!