Phrasal verbs; FCE practice

Hi everyone,

Last week we finished Unit 5 and started Unit 6 (only 5ºA). On Tuesday we worked with phrasal verbs (or multi-word verbs). Below I post a mind-map that can help you remember them. The phrasal verbs thereby included are somewhat easy, but what I want you to see is a possible organisation for the new phrasal verbs you learn. Remember that the way you organise your vocabulary is as important as the time you spend studying it.

In this blog entry I also leave you with three exam practice activities.

• Reading Part 2: place the sentences in the correct gap.
• Use of English Part 3: word-formation
• Listening Part 2: open answer

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

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

For CAL students, your links have also been updated. Find them in "Departamento de Inglés", "Recursos CAL" (The URL address is http://www.eoiroquetasdemar.org/wp/recursos-c-a-l/)

See you tomorrow in class!

From Roberto Romera, 2ºB

Hi everyone,

Roberto Romera, from 2ºB, has found this extremely useful website for pronunciation: www.forvo.com As you know, you can check the pronunciation of a word in a normal dictionary, but many of them aren't included, for example proper names. In this website you can consult the pronunciation any word. Just make sure you choose the pronunciation is in English! Here I include the word I looked up: "Brussels":

I'm sure you will use this website a lot, for example in your presentations, where you include names that don't appear in the dictionary. Thanks for sharing, Roberto!

In this entry I also post another link that you can use for listening. It has plenty of (many) listening podcasts that you can listen to online, or download to your computer. Click here and check it out!

www.es.forvo.com - thanks to Roberto Romera

Hi everyone,

Roberto Romera, from 2ºB, has found this extremely useful website for pronunciation: www.es.forvo.com. As you know, you can check the pronunciation of a word in a normal dictionary, but many of them aren't included, for example proper names. In this website you can consult the pronunciation any word. Just make sure you choose the pronunciation is in English! Here I include the word I looked up: "Brussels":

I'm sure you will use this website a lot, for example in your presentations, where you include names that don't appear in the dictionary. Thanks for sharing, Roberto!

From Roberto Romera, 2ºB

Hi everyone,

Roberto Romera, from 2ºB, has found this extremely useful website for pronunciation: www.forvo.com As you know, you can check the pronunciation of a word in a normal dictionary, but many of them aren't included, for example proper names. In this website you can consult the pronunciation any word. Just make sure you choose the pronunciation is in English! Here I include the word I looked up: "Brussels":

I'm sure you will use this website a lot, for example in your presentations, where you include names that don't appear in the dictionary. Thanks for sharing, Roberto!

In this entry I also post another link that you can use for listening. It has plenty of (many) listening podcasts that you can listen to online, or download to your computer. Click here and check it out!

Ten characteristics of a good teacher

Hi everyone!

Sonia Sánchez, from Avanzado 1 CAL, has sent me this article entitled "Ten Characteristics of a Good Teacher", by Patricia Miller. It is particularly interesting for the CAL group, but those in the ordinary group can obviously read it too. Really insightful!

Ten Characteristics of a Good Teacher by ana_uk877884

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.

New website in the School!

Hi again,

I'm writing now to inform you that we have completely updated the School's website. If you haven't checked it already, please do. Now we believe it is much more intuitive and user-friendly than it was before. There is still some information that needs to be uploaded, but we're already working on it :)

www.eoiroquetasdemar.org

New website in the School!

Hi again,

I'm writing now to inform you that we have completely updated the School's website. If you haven't checked it already, please do. Now we believe it is much more intuitive and user-friendly than it was before. There is still some information that needs to be uploaded, but we're already working on it :)

www.eoiroquetasdemar.org

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.

Present perfect

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! :)

Idioms; FCE exam practice

Hi everyone!

Happy New Year!! I hope you've all started 2013 in high spirits, full of energy and eager to launch new projects! Since it's a fresh new year, here you have some idioms about new beginnings!

I take it for granted that you've taken advantage of these days to read Starting Over. It's true that the vocabulary is pretty colloquial and idiomatic at the beginning, but don't despair. Remember that you are reading the book for general meaning (that's called 'extensive reading'), so you don't have to look up every single word in the dictionary (but you can if you want to, by all means!). Besides, once you get used to Parsons's writing style, the reading is a lot smoother, and the vocabulary becomes increasingly easier.

I'm confident you've also been busy completing the vocabulary unit about transport and travelling, and writing the composition (remember this one has to be between 125 and 150 words!). Please, have everything ready for the 8th January (the deadline of the composition is extended till 23.59h).

Apart from that, with the advent of the New Year I also wanted to provide you with some exam practice material for you to do at home. If you can't get round to doing it these days, that's fine, but make sure you do it as soon as you find a window (hueco).

• Reading Part 1 (Multiple choice): "Social networks"

• Use of English Part 2 (gap-filling): "The Goulburn Valley"

• Listening Part 1 (8 conversations, multiple choice)

Finally, I wanted to inform you that we have completely updated the School's website. If you haven't checked it in these days, please do. We believe we've made it much more intuitive and user-friendly than it was before. There is still some information that needs to be uploaded, but we're already working on it :)

www.eoiroquetasdemar.org

And that's all for the moment! See you again on the 8th!

Be happy, be good.

FCE Test Practice ONLINE! :)

Hi again,

Looking for materials that some people from 5º CAL had asked me for, especially reading, I have come across a website with several real FCE tests that you can do online (awesome!!).

Because there's quite a lot of material there and I don't want you to feel overwhelmed, I'll regularly make a selection of tests for you to do during the week/weekend, or whenever you manage to put some time aside. Here you have three of them.

• Reading Part 3 (Which person...?): Book reviews

• Use of English Part 1: Fill in the gaps with multiple choice

• Listening Part 3: Match Speakers 1-5 with statements

Apart from that, I have also visited the website of the EOI in Ciudad Real and they have a list of listenings for B2, classified according to topic. The level of these listenings is not very well measured, and the activities are not exactly exam-like, but they can be good for general practice; you can also have access to the transcription. Click here for the link.

If anyone finds any other interesting website on the Internet, please tell me and I'll post it here so that everybody can use it. Remember that what you do at home makes all the difference :) Thank you!

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!