Some studying tips... FOR THE WHOLE YEAR!

Hi there!

Now that the exams are round the corner, here I leave you with some tips that will help you learn better. Hope you find them useful!

• Don't overdo it: studying 15-30 minutes per day is more effective than studying 2 hours once every week.
• For a whole week, try studying 15-30 minutes each day. Not less. And definitively not more than that (even if you could).
• You will see that the following day, studying is much more fun, simply because you didn't push it to the limit the day before.

The 50 most common spelling mistakes

While the Spanish strive to learn English... Cambridge University reveals the 50 most common spelling mistakes we make. See if you can find them!

ESQUIRE | 06 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2013

wich
confortable
becouse
accomodation
posible
belive
diferent
bycicle
enviroment
beatiful
recomend
begining
reponsability
demostration
recived
oportunity
advertisment
untill
ruber
bussiness
succesful
adress
nowdays
necesary
enought
tipical
hellow
embrrasing
reponsabilities
responsable
recieved
decission
bougth
arround
whith
se
recive
goverment
bussines
polution
dificult
posibility
nervious
imposible
diferents
comunication
coffe
whises
whe
possitive 

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.

Halloween Party at the EOI "Roquetas de Mar"

Halloween by ana_uk877884

On public speaking

Hi there,

I've just come across this article on "public speaking", which is -fortunately- becoming an important matter for educationalists in Spain.

Why is "public speaking" taught in British schools but not in Spanish ones? What are the consequences of this? Read the article to find out...

¿Por qué los colegios ingleses enseñan oratoria y los españoles no?

Want to stretch your English writing skills?

If you want to improve your writing skills, try one of these fun writing activities!

1. Write a story that is made up of 26 sentences, where each sentence begins with a different letter of the alphabet. The first sentence will start with “A”, the second sentence will start with “B”, and so on.
2. Practice using the common suffix “-ion” by writing a paragraph that includes at least 15 words that end in “-ion”.
3. Write a sentence that contains no nouns.
4. Write a sentence that contains four nouns, three verbs, two adjectives, and one adverb.
5. Write a sentence in which each word only has one vowel in it.
6. Write a sentence that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once.
7. Write the longest sentence that you can – without using the letter “e”.
8. Write a paragraph about your most valued possession, using as many possessive pronouns as possible (my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, and theirs).
9. Write a dialogue between two people with as many questions as possible.
10. Write down the lyrics of one of your favorite songs. Then use formal English formatting and language to transform those lyrics into a business letter.

Taken from ESL Basics

New blog!

For all of you who were following this blog, please visit the new version at www.anabuenoeoi.blogspot.com

Make sure you visit the section called: "How to use this blog".

You can register by e-mail entering your address on the box on the right. That way you will receive all the updates and new posts on your e-mail account.

Thank you!

New blog!

For all of you who were following this blog, please visit the new version at www.anabuenoeoi.blogspot.com

Make sure you visit the section called: "How to use this blog".

You can register by e-mail entering your address on the box on the right. That way you will receive all the updates and new posts on your e-mail account.

Thank you!

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!

How to get your point across in Spain

Hi there,

I've just found this very interesting article on how we communicate in Spain. I believe the writer manages to capture many of our cultural features, and how we display them in communication... or doesn't he?

How to get your point across in Spain

What do you think of the image given of the Spanish? Do you agree with the way we are portrayed? Feel free to post a comment below!