PAST SIMPLE OF 20 IRREGULAR VERBS

In this video quiz students fill in the missing past simple irregular verbs. 20 gapfill questions to practice grammar.

PRACTISE ENGLISH DURING YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Some tips to practise English in summer: 

Summer is the time of the year when you should put into practice all the English learnt this academic year. This post is devoted to giving you some recommendations to keep up your English!!!.

1. If you go to an English speaking country, either to do an English course or simply for leisure, make the most of it and immerse yourself in its culture.
2. If you go on holiday to a tourist resort and you have the chance to talk to English speaking holidaymakers, don´t be shy and do it. Simple dialogues such us asking or giving directions, talking about  the weather, or about free time activities... will definitely improve your English skills and your self-confidence.
3. If you are not going on holiday abroad, it is not a problem, you can still listen to your favourite English songs. Don´t miss the opportunity to learn new vocabulary and revise grammar. There is a website where you can listen to your favourite songs and practise your English by doing some exercises with different levels and at your own pace . This is the link: http://www.subingles.com/
4. Films: there is always a film for every taste. Remember to watch films in their original version with or without subtitles depending on your level. 
5. It is always good to be updated with what is happening around the world. That´s why I  recommend reading and watching the News in English: http://www.euronews.com/
   

         ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

The short video you are about to watch is about the origins of Christmas.
Answer the following reading comprehension questions you will find in this link:
Origins of Christmas



Then, we can watch a video called Mog´s Christmas calamities and you can work with the activities suggested in this link:
http://film-english.com/2015/12/18/mogs-christmas-calamity/

FILM ENGLISH

I am devoting this post to talking about the website called  Film English.

This site promotes the innovative and creative use of film in English language teaching and learning. All of the lesson plans revolve around the use of video and film to teach English. The lessons promote critical thinking in the language classroom, and encourage learners to reflect on values while learning a language. There are different levels and themes.
 I will include  the video clip of the activity called Curiosity and the link to its lesson plan:
 curiosity lesson plan.

Student Design Award Winner - Curiosity: Exploration and Discovery from RSA Student Design Awards on Vimeo.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAYS

What we did on our holidays. (Film)

Brilliant tragicomedy film where diverse serious topics of life are intermingled with a big dose of humour.
It is recommended for advanced students as a good listening and pronunciation activity since you can appreciate two different accents: London and Scottish.
It is a BBC comedy starring David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, and Billy Connolly. It is directed and written by  Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
It was filmed on location in Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands . The film was released in the UK on 26 September 2014. It has got beautiful sceneries, a lovely soundtrack, a magnificent performance and an original plot. It is definitely a must.
For more information about the film, you can have a look at the following link .
Finally, you can see a trailer of this film.

TOMORROWLAND

Tomorrowland (film).

This post is about Tomorrowland, the film.

Tomorrowland (titled Disney Tomorrowland: A World Beyond in the United Kingdom) is a 2015 American Science fiction adventure film directed by Brad Bird.

The film tells the story of a former boy genius (Clooney) and a young girl (Robertson), who travel to an ambiguous dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where their actions directly affect the world and themselves.

For futher information about the film, look at the following link: Tomorrowland.

This film is full of adventure, action, creativity, and its special effects are very innovative and very well-made. The positive message of the film is reassuring as well. I believe that  Science fiction lovers won´t be disappointed.

I strongly recommend the film to improve your English provided that you watch it in its original version, with or without subtibles depending on your level.

This is the trailer for the film:

SHAUN THE SHEEP TV SERIES

Shaun the Sheep Activity.

I would like to devote this post  to Shaun the Sheep TV Series and how we can use its episodes with our students in the classroom.
First of all, I will include some information about this series:
Shaun the Sheep is a British stop-motion animated television series, a spin-off of the Wallace and Gromit franchise. It has been very popular not only in the U.K but also around the world.
Besides, a film called "Shaun the Sheep the Movie "has recently been released at the cimenas which I strongly recommend.  For further information you can look at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_the_Sheep.

Each episode is very short so it is ideal for a lesson, since you show the video and then you do the exercises related to that episode. Additionally, it is good fun, the students love it. It could be used as a warm-up or cool-down activity to revise vocabulary for example in a different lesson.

I will add a Reading Comprehension activity which I created and did wih my  2º ESO students aged 12/ 13. This is the link: Shaun the Sheep Activity

Finally, I will embed one of the episodes that includes the song that students can sing along at the end of the lesson.

Shaun The Sheep - Shaun goes Potty por f100000876713522