New links

Dear NB1 and NI2 students,

I've added a couple of links to our listening section.

Words in the news is specially good for NI2 students, so that you can practice news English. You can listen and read at the same time as well as learn new vocabulary.

English central is good for any level students. You have to register and then choose your level (easy,medium or hard). The procedure is simple:
- watch a video with subtitles
- then record yourself reading the subtitles.
- the software will give you feedback on your speech.

This way you will learn:
- pronunciation of words
- sentence intonation
- sentence rythm

I hope you like it!

All and Everything

Dear Ni2 students,

Since it seems you have problems with "all" and "everything", here you are a quite straightforward explanation (and some exercises). Just click on the words below:

ALL AND EVERYTHING

Hope it helps!

Flamenco Maestro Enrique Morente dies at 67

The music and arts world in Spain is in shock. Flamenco maestro Enrique Morente died today in Madrid at Madrid’s clínica La Luz. The legendary singer, composer and producer had been in a coma for several days and this morning he had been pronounced brain dead. Spanish newspapers are reporting that the family may sue the clinic for malpractice.

The clinic has become a focal point for Morente’s friends. At the time of death, Morente was surrounded by flamenco singers Arcángel and Carmen Linares, producer Javier Limón and singer-songwriter Joaquín Sabina.

The Morente family put out a new press release. “The Morente Family announces that today, Monday, December 13th, after 5:00 pm, Enrique Morente has died. After several days of tireless fight against death, Enrique Morente, an extraordinary creator and a wonderful person, leaves an enormous emptiness in our hearts and in music, to which he dedicated himself entirely and with passion during all his life.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL NEWS

URBAN TRIBES

Dear NI2 students,

Here you are some reading about urban tribes...

You may also want to find out your urban tribe here:
http://www.findyourtribe.co.uk

Enjoy!

YOUNG URBAN TRIBES FIGHT OVER FASHION
BY ALEX STEPHENS

Yuppies, Tweenies and Sloane Rangers move over - it is time to introduce the Trendies, Indie Scenesters and Blingers.

After questioning more than 80,000 people across the UK, social experts have identified 26 different "tribes" that young people fall into.

The categories, ranging from Emos, who are sensitive types with floppy fringes, to Indie Scenesters, whose uniform is Converse and skinny jeans, have been listed on the website www.findyourtribe.co.uk as part of an online quiz. Visitors to the site are placed in a tribe after being questioned about their lifestyle.

The quiz has been created for Channel 4 by research agencies Crowd DNA and Voodoo. The results will help brands to understand customers.

WHICH TRIBE ARE YOU?

BHANGRA MUFFIN: Your accent is half Asian, 25 percent urban and 25 percent English. You bought Shilpa Shetty's perfume. You wear Iceberg jeans and Rocawear.


BLINGERS: You think Mr T was under-dressed and wear your bling on your D&G sleeve. People ask you if you're from the US because of your New York accent and you take this as a compliment.


EMOS: You have dyed black hair brushed over your face to protect you from the cruel world. You seek solace in poetry and music.

GET PAID CREW: You devote your life to getting rich and aspire to having an empire.

GRUNGERS: Your god is Kurt Cobain. Your bleached blonde hair is the same length as your girlfriend's and your jumpers have thumb holes in.

SKATERS: Your motto is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". You're happy if there's concret to grind, trainers to ruin and rock to rock to. You regularly video your own stunts - but would run a mile if you saw the police. You don't want no trouble.

INDIES: You know all the major players in the indie scene. You're always moving on to the next thing once everyone joins in.

STREET RATS: You're always ducking and diving, trying to make a few quid. You hang on park benches, drinking and getting in the face of any innocent passer-by.

TRENDIES: Your look is more important than life itself. You buy Vogue and Glamour, mainly just to carry around and remind the plebs of your social standing. You aspire to be a fashionista and worship at the skinny feet of Gwen Stefani and Kate Moss.

Other tribes are:

CLUBBERS

PC WORLD

TECHIES

TOWNIES

CHAVS

SPORTS JUNKIE

SMART URBAN

MOSHERS

Do / Does

Dear NB1 Students,
Please go to this webpage

REAL ENGLISH LESSON 21

to listen and read some people using DO and DOES in conversations.

Have a nice day!
Leticia.

small talk

Dear NI2 students,
Here you are a video on small talk. Relax, because you can read the most important information while you watch and listen:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/earlyshow/leisure/books/main917356.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;videoMetaInfo

Enjoy,
Leticia.

Alphabet Time!

Dear NB1 students,

Sing along with Elmo and have fun with the alphabet!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION NI2

Hi there!

This is a message for B and D groups (Tue / Thu):

THERE'S NO CLASS TOMORROW, BUT THERE'S CLASS ON FRIDAY.

Have a nice day!

Where are you from?

Dear NB1 students:

Here you are a video to practice 'Where are you from?'

Enjoy!

Larry King: Interview to Lady Gaga

Dear NI2 students:

Here you are the full interview:



Enjoy!

Pleased to meet you

Dear NB1 students:

Here you are a video to practice greetings and meeting people language.



Have a nice day!
Leticia

Getting to know each other

Dear NB1 and NI2 students,

Welcome to your blog!

I hope you'll enjoy it.

Cheers,
Leticia.

Learn English and Donate Food

Hi there!

Would you like to learn English and feed hungry people at the same time?

Go this website and answer questions about English. For every correct answer 10 grains of rice are donated to the World Food Programme.

Have a nice day,
Leticia.

USEFUL TOOL

Dear Students,

How are you doing? Are you spending a nice summer?

I'm back from Glasgow and I've learnt many useful things that we can use in class. I'm looking forward to using them with you!

If you click HERE you'll go to the Virtual Language Centre webpage. If you enter a phrase or sentence in the WEB CONCORDANCER you will find examples of how that particular chunk of language is used in English. If there are no results, it means that it does not exist in English. This way you can check whether your phrase is correct and natural in English or not...

I hope you can practice and improve your writing with this! The link will be in the DIDACTIC WEBSITES for you.

Have a nice summer!
Leticia.

To the funniest students!

Dear B2 students,

First of all, I hope you're ok today after your exam. Marks will be out on Wednesday 23rd at about 7:30 pm.

Secondly, THANK YOU FOR THE PARTY YESTERDAY!! It was real fun, I have to admit I was really scared when I had to open the box (well, the boxes!) but the surprise inside was just wonderful. It'll be a very very special ball for me ;).

As for the rest of presents, it wasn't necessary, really, but thank you very much anyway. I felt really fortunate and thankful. It's been a very hard year for all of us, don't you think?

Thank you for your words as well and congratulations for your creativity! I'm still amused at the wooden piece with the parody on my class plan! hahahaha!

Well, see you on Wednesday come what may.
Love,
Leticia.

PD: I'm going to miss you so much sweeties...

BÁSICO 2 EXAM: important information

Dear B2 students,

I'm writing to tell you that I'll be late tomorrow for your exam, so don't worry if you don't see me.

Margarita will be with B2-C in our classroom and Patricia with B2-D in class 1-15. Please, bring your ID with you!

Be relaxed and concentrate a lot in you reading and listening tests!! Read the instructions carefully too.

I think I'll be there at about 18:00 anyway.

Take care and GOOD LUCK!
Leticia.

To my dearest students

Dear B1 students,

Thank you very much for our lovely dinner yesterday! Thank you for your wonderful presents, your delicious chocolates and specially for your card and all the moving and beautiful comments we told each other.

You know I'm going to miss you a lot, but I'm happy too because I feel really pleased with our results this year. Congratulations!

I wish you all the best and please be always so active, so motivated, hard-working and nice.

Good luck and love,
Leticia.

PS: Please feel free to go to the teacher's room with your pendrives to copy the garden day videos.

The Body

Dear Students,

Marta has found a very interesting blog where you can practice language about

THE BODY

You can hear the words pronounced.

Thank you!

The Earth

Dear B2 Students,

Please have a look at the complete documentary about the Earth. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it much more in this format.

I've also copied the video script so that you can listen and read at the same time.

Have a nice weekend!


Solar System:
All About Earth

Here is short video all about planet earth. Full of information on our very own planet Earth, this film covering physics, chemistry and biology shows you a vey different side to Earth as we know it.

1.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and is the largest of the rocky planets in the Solar System, in both diameter and mass.
2.

It is located about 150 million km from the Sun between Venus and Mars.
3.

Home to the human species, it is also referred to as "The Earth", "Planet Earth", "Terra", "The World", and "The Blue Planet". It is the only planet not named after a Roman or Greek God. The name derives from old English and Germanic.
4.

It was not until the time of Copernicus in the 16th Century that it was understood that the Earth is just another planet.
5.

The Earth is the first planet known to have liquid water on the surface and is the only place in the universe that is known to harbour life.....up to now.
6.

The Earth was formed around 4.5 billion years ago and its only known natural satellite, the Moon, began orbiting it around 4 million years later.
7.

The Earth travels around the Sun at nearly 30km per second or 67,000mph. It makes one complete orbit for every 365.25 times it rotates about its axis. It is this quarter day that produces a leap year or extra day every four years.
8.

The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23° away from the perpendicular to its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface.
9.

Ice caps of frozen water at the North and South poles are gradually receding because of the build up of carbon emissions in the atmosphere causing the overall temperature to rise in a greenhouse effect.
10.

Earth has a magnetic field that, together with a primarily nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, protects the surface from radiation that is harmful to life. The atmosphere also serves as a shield that causes smaller meteors to burn up before they strike the surface.
11.

The Earth's atmosphere is composed of 77% nitrogen, 21% oxygen with traces of argon, carbon dioxide and water. But the atmosphere is very thin. There is no definite line between atmosphere and space, it just gradually thins out the higher you go. Although humans cannot exist over about 10,000m without oxygen. At 80km you are considered to be an astronaut.
12.

The atmosphere is coloured blue because of the light scattering abilities of water molecules and other gases. Blue light is scattered more than the other colours.
13.

At Sunrise and Sunset the sky appears red because the longer red wavelengths are more prevalent.
14.

Magnetic radiation streams from the Sun and congregates at the poles in the upper atmosphere and cause the Aurora, coloured lights that dance across the sky at extreme latitudes.
15.

Clouds in the atmosphere are caused by a build up of water molecules. Clouds can be created at ground level (fog) and can extend to a height of over 8000m in the case of cirrus clouds.
16.

The presence of life on Earth has greatly affected the composition of the atmosphere. Plant life inhales carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and emits oxygen as a by-product.
17.

Mammals on the planet inhale oxygen and emit carbon dioxide, a wonderful arrangement!
18.

It is estimated that there are 6.6 billion humans, this figure is expected to rise to 7 billion by 2013.
19.

The 29% of land mass consists of deserts, mountains, plains and plateaus. The tallest mountain is Mount Everest on the border of Nepal and China it is nearly 9,000m or 29,000ft.
20.

The surface of the Earth is made from a crust of rock 0 to 60km thick, known as the Lithosphere. Below this surface is a superheated and viscous liquid inner core.
21.

The Lithosphere essentially floats on the surface of this liquid inner core, in what are known as tectonic plates.
22.

Tectonic plates are rigid sections of the Earth's surface that move in relation to each other. It is when two or more of these plates grind together that we get Earthquakes.
23.

Collisions between the plates give rise to high mountain ranges as the surfaces are pushed up.
24.

71% of the surface is covered by salt water oceans. The abundance of water on the Earth's surface is what makes it unique amongst the other planets in the Solar System.
25.

The deepest underwater location is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean with a depth of almost 11,000m (35,798ft or 6.78mi).
26.

If all of the land on Earth were spread evenly, the water would rise to an altitude of more than 2.5km (approximately 1.7mi).
27.

About 97% of the Earth's water is saline, while the remaining 3% is fresh water. The majority of the fresh water, about 68%, is currently in the form of ice.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

Dear B1 students,

Since we won't have time to look at recipes, I'd like you to watch this sweet video where you can get an idea of recipe language.

Enjoy!

PS: you can see the text below


Chocolate:
How To Make Chocolate Cake

Step 1: You will need:
Units:

* 200 g caster sugar
* 200 g softened butter
* 4 medium eggs, beaten
* 170 g self-raising flour
* 30 g cocoa
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 tbsp milk
* 200 ml double cream
* 50 g butter
* 3 tbsp clear honey
* 200 g dark chocolate

1.
Step 2: Mix

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5, 375F. Butter two 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins and line with non-stick baking paper.
2.
Step 3: Bake

In a large bowl, beat together 200g softened butter with 200g caster sugar, 4 eggs, 170g flour and 30g cocoa powder until you have a smooth, soft batter.
Divide the mixture between the tins, smooth the surface with a spatula or the back of a spoon, then bake for about 20 mins until the top is a beautiful golden colour. The cake should spring back when you press it. Turn it onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
3.
Step 4: Frosting

For the fudge frosting, heat 200ml double cream until it just begins to boil. Take it off the heat and add 50g butter, 3 tablespoons honey and 200g dark chocolate, which has been broken into pieces. Leave the mixture for five minutes so the chocolate melts, then stir it briefly to combine all the ingredients - don't over-mix it or it will lose its shine.
4.
Step 5: Ice

Sandwich the cakes with a third of the just-warm frosting and spread the rest over the top and sides. Top with shaved or grated chocolate.

Agony Aunt

Dear B2 Students,

This is the opening message from a website called "My Agony Aunt"

Here at My Agony Aunt you can read letters from other people suffering with problems just like you, the letters we publish cover everything from relationship advice, marriage advice and teenage agony aunt letters.

You can not only read the letters you can also post your suggestions on what people should do, maybe you have some personal life experience that can help others.


Why don't you have a look at it? You may find some nice grammar and vocabulary as well as human interest stories... And who knows, maybe you can also give some advice!

MY AGONY AUNT

Have a nice day!

I - ME - MY - MINE

Dear B2 students,

Here you are some more grammar exercises at your request.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS 1

PERSONAL PRONOUNS 2


OBJECT PRONOUNS 1


OBJECT PRONOUNS 2

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS


POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS

Have a nice weekend!

Easter listening

Dear B2 students:

Here you are the link to the listening activity about Easter.


And this is the learning English section from the BBC.


Enjoy!

The Latest Weather Report

Dear B2 students,

Here you are a really charming 1950's video on weather forecasts.



You can practice and learn vocabulary such as:
haze
overcast
below zero
chance of...
risk of ...
fair
freezing
partly cloudy
cool
mild

Don't forget to use the dictionary!

PEN DRIVES

This is a message for B1 students.

Please bring your pen drives to class on Monday, so that you can have your oral exam recordings.

Have a nice evening and see you tomorrow!
Leticia.

Using Audacity

Hi everyone!

There's a computer programme you can easily use to record yourselves while speaking. This will help you notice many good (and not so good) things.

Here you are a link to download AUDACITY in your computers:

AUDACITY DOWNLOAD


And here you are some easy instructions and tips:

AUDACITY TIPS

Remember the right way to get a mp3 file is:
ARCHIVO
>
EXPORT AS
> mp3

Have a nice weekend!

EOI Vigo

This is a message for B2 students:

Laura from B2C has found some sample exams in EOI Vigo's webpage.

They're slightly different from our exams, but I think this will do nicely for our exam practice.

According to my planning we still have to work a little more on grammar and vocabulary before starting to practice exams like these, but if you feel you have to practice now, feel free to do so. However, don't get upset if there are things you don't know!!

So, here you are the link (remember to copy and paste it in a new window):
http://www.eoidevigo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=478&Itemid=100092

or you can click HERE

Thank you very much Laura!!

Listening practice links

Hi!

This is a message for B1 students.

Here you are a list of list of links where you can find listening practice (remember you have these links in this blog, on the right):

www.podcastsinenglish.com (level 1)

www.real-english.com (beginner level)

www.esl-lab.com (easy level)

www.elllo.org --> no levels in this website, so just relax -'cause it's difficult- listen and read. This kind of listening will help you get features of natural English speaking.

http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html (American English)

And, of course, listen and read your Oxford bookworms books.

Improving listening takes time, so, as I said before, relax and practice as much as you can!

Have a nice day!

B2 exam samples

Dear Básico 2 students,

You can find exam samples from previous years in this link:

http://www.educa.madrid.org/portal/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=3889.25&c=an

Remember to copy and paste it in a new window.

Have a nice day,
Leticia.

Rock Around the Clock

This is a message for B1 students!

Here you are the video of the famous Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley.



The lyrics:

One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock, rock,
Five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock, rock,
Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock, rock,
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight.

Put your glad rags on and join me, hon,
We'll have some fun when the clock strikes one,
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight,
We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight.
We're gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight.

When the clock strikes two, three and four,
If the band slows down we'll yell for more,
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight,
We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight.
We're gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight.

When the chimes ring five, six and seven,
We'll be right in seventh heaven.
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight,
We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight.
We're gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight.

When it's eight, nine, ten, eleven too,
I'll be goin' strong and so will you.
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight,
We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight.
We're gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight.

When the clock strikes twelve, we'll cool off then,
Start a rockin' round the clock again.
We're gonna rock around the clock tonight,
We're gonna rock, rock, rock, 'til broad daylight.
We're gonna rock, gonna rock, around the clock tonight

Internet Dating

Dear Students,

Here you are the video we worked with last Tuesday about 'How to Find Love by Internet Dating'


Find Love In A Month:
How To Find Love By Internet Dating

This is the webpage it belongs to:

www.videojug.com

You can find a menu on the left with the following categories: beauty, culture, family and education, food and drink, health, home and lifestyle, love, money and careers, sports and technology and cars.

And remember you can read what you listen if you click on the option "TEXT VERSION"

Give it a try! You'll find something of your interest for sure!

Have a nice weekend

Listening on Friday

Dear B2 students,

Here you are the link to the listening we did last Friday:

http://www.elllo.org/english/Points/PT06-Cities.html

You can get the worksheet tomorrow in class.

See you and have a nice week!

No class today!

Dear B1 and That's English students,

Just in case you don't know, there's no class today because of the snow.

But you can practice some English anyway!

Go to the link below to watch a video from BBC News about this Snowfall in Europe:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/video_and_audio/default.stm

(You'll see it just in the centre of your screen, its title is SNOWFALL CAUSES CHAOS AROUND THE WORLD)

Try to think about the following comprehension questions:

- What happened to drivers in Germany?
- How many people have died in Poland?
- How many centimetres of snow have been predicted in Eastern and Southern parts of Britain?
- What has Gordon Brown said about gas supplies and salt?
- Which country is mentioned next?
- Can you mention some of the problems in China?

Now this piece of news is really kind of... negative. What's your own experience with snow? I love it! Just walking and looking at the landscape, having some snowball fights... maybe you like skiing or doing snowmen...

Have a nice day and enjoy!

How to pronounce 2010?

Hi everyone out there!

How are you doing this year so far? before you can answer this question maybe you need to know how to pronounce the year itself!

There's been a lot of debate as to how to say it: twenty-ten or two thousand ten.

One of the most important English Linguists -David Crystal- thinks that the rhythm or "flow" of "two thousand (and) ten", beats that of "twenty ten" (here you are the full wikipedia article about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010s)

And if you go to the link below (please copy the link and paste it in a new window) , you will hear (and read) some other opinions on this topic.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120470656

What's your personal feeling?

Mine is definitely twenty-ten!

See you soon!

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone!

How was your New Year's Eve?

Have a look at how people in N.Y. celebrate the coming of the New Year. It's called the BALL DROP because a ball is lowered or dropped from a building in Times Square.

All the best for 2010!!