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!

10 INVENTIONS QUIZ

As an extention activity, you are about to see a video about 10 inventions which will make your life easier. Watch the video and answer the questions proposed in the following link: 10 Inventions Quiz
Which one do you like the most? Why?.

NEW YEAR´S RESOLUTIONS

We are starting the year with some new resolutions.
Watch this video clip and answer the questions based on what you see and hear. This is the link to the activity: New year´s resolutions.

WHITE CHRISTMAS CAROL

You are going to listen to two different versions of the traditional White Christmas Carol:
Which one do you like the most?


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

BONFIRE NIGHT

This is a British festive day which is celebrated on November 5th. The tradition started to celebrate the failure of a plan to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament in 1605. Watch the following video  co-produced by the BBC and The British Council and find out all about it.
After watching the video, there are some suggested activities: reading comprehension and vocabulary exercises. Besides, the page provides you with worksheets and downloads together with the transcript. This is the link:  Bonfire night activities .

THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

Today, we have seen the following video to talk about Halloween.
For further information about Halloween origins, traditions, superstitions...    I recommend seeing this link:
History of Halloween

TALKING ABOUT MYSELF

Presentationmagazine.com

Dedico esta entrada a la actividad que voy a realizar con mis alumnos de 1º ESO.
La primera parte del ejercicio consiste en la comprensión lectora y auditiva ( reading and listening ) de un texto con vocabulario y estructuras elementales que servirán de repaso de la materia que hemos estudiado hasta ahora. Incluyo el enlace a dicha actividad:
Talking about myself activity.
Después, los alumnos tienen que realizar un ejercicio de expresión escrita (writing), siguiendo el modelo propuesto en la actividad previa.
Para ampliar el vocabulario y estructuras, los estudiantes repasan los siguientes aspectos de cada  unidad ya vista en su libro de texto:
VOCABULARY EXTENSION, From Textbook Real English 1:
Describing people:  page 16, exercise 1, page 20.
Favourite food: page 32.
Daily routines: page 40, exercise 1.
Places around the town. Page 58.
Sports: page 70.
Describing films and TV programmes: page 82.
Comparative adjectives: page 82
Finalmente, los alumnos pueden utilizar posters y/o cartulinas para presentar sus trabajos.
Propongo unos enlaces como ejemplo de trabajos con cartulinas:
Trabajos con cartulinas
My portfolio beyond the words
Más trabajos con cartulinas

La segunda parte de la actividad consiste en realizar un ejercicio de expresión oral (speaking) donde los alumnos se presentan hablando de ellos mismos con la información trabajada en el writing.
Los alumnos serán evaluados con un " assessment scale ", donde se incluirán aspectos gramaticales, de pronunciación,  de fluidez y creativos.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

I am devoting this post to talking about New Year´s and I am showing the following video. For further information, you can visit the following link:
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/new-year

 

THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS

I am devoting this post to talking about the history of Christmas and I am showing the following video.
For further information, you can visit the following link:
History of Christmas

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the United States as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.
 Several other places around the world have similar celebrations.
Thanksgiving has its historical roots in religious and cultural traditions. For further information, you can visit the following link: This day in history Thanksgiving
The following video shows the history of Thanksgiving:

THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH IN TEN MINUTES.

The history of English in ten minutes is an entertaining and humorous video that tells you how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.
The Open University proposes doing a lesson where the video is divided into 10 different chapters, showing the transcript of each chapter:  Open University, history of English.

I will include the whole video. Those students, who find it difficult to follow the words,  have the option to use subtitles:

REMEMBRANCE DAY

Florespedia.com

Armistice Day or Remembrance Day is celebrated on November 11th every year. It commemorates the end of World War I on 11th November 1918.
 Armistice Day is observed all over the world. In many countries, people stop what they are doing for a two-minute moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. This is a sign of respect for those who died. In Britain, there is another name for Armistice Day - Remembrance Sunday. In 1939, the British government moved Armistice Day to the Sunday nearest November 11. In America, the day is also called Veterans Day. Children in Commonwealth countries know these days by another name – Poppy Day. People wear poppies and donate money to charities for soldiers injured in wars. Poppies are a symbol of the blood that filled the trenches. Poppies also bloomed across some of the worst battlefields during the War. Source link: http://www.eslholidaylessons.com/11/armistice_day.html
 For further information you can visit the following links:
What is remembrance day ?
Armistice day in pictures.
ESL Holiday Lessons. This page contains activities you could do with students to practise vocabulary, listening and reading comprehension exercises about this topic.

Finally I will include a short video about Remembrance Day:

" HOW TO" VIDEOS. BRITISH COUNCIL

The British Council offers a series of videos to see how to say things right in very different situations.
The situation I have chosen for this post is how to understand the differences between British and American English. The activity consists of a warm-up, preparation exercise and then, a task to do after watching the video.
It also provides a transcript which students can read while watching the video. A downloadable and printable version to do on paper is also available.
It is a short and funny video clip highly recommended to introduce British and American English.
You can watch it by clicking on the following link: 

How to understand the differences between British and American English

LONDON WEBQUEST II

 Los alumnos también pueden ver el siguiente vídeo informativo sobre Londres. El video tiene la opción de activar los subtítulos:

ALL THAT JAZZ !!!

Teaching English with Jazz Chants.

I am going to devote this post to Jazz Chants and how we can use them in our classroom.
But what is a jazz chant? According to Carolyn Graham,  a jazz chant is a rhythmic expression of spoken American English. She, as a musician, a teacher and a teacher trainer, realised that the sound of spoken English reflected exactly the rhythm of traditional American Jazz. She has also experienced that a student can easily memorise any material if you present it with rhythmic patterns.
On her website, you can find examples of Jazz Chants with teacher´s notes, their scripts and the audio  MP3 files. She also gives students instructions on how to create their own jazz chants: http://jazzchants.net/

You can use jazz chants in a variety of fun ways. You can practice stress and rhythm with your class, to help your students sound more natural when they speak English. Also, because each jazz chant focuses on different vocabulary and grammar, you can use them to review important words and structures! The following link gives some ideas on how to use these jazz chants with your class. Besides you can find MP3 files and recording scripts from starter to intermediate level: http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/listening/jazz-chants/

Finally, I will include a clip with an example of a jazz chant to practise the structure: how´s Jack/ how are you?
All jazz chants follow a similar pattern: they are short and simple, repetitive, with a rhythmic pattern, catchy and easy to memorise.

THE ENGLISH WE SPEAK

The English we speak (click here )
It is a weekly podcast by the BBC that focuses on everyday phrases and idioms used by British people. Each piece of language is put into context, making it easier to understand.  Transcripts are included for anything you didn't catch. Try it by listening this three minute programme and make the English you speak sound more natural.

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:

BREAKING NEWS

Breaking News English.

La página web de la que voy a hablar, me está resultado muy útil en la enseñanza de las cuatro destrezas a la hora de enseñar y aprender el Inglés: Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading.
Es una página que muestra diferentes noticias sobre diversos temas de actualidad y la correspondiente explotación didáctica de las mismas.
Cada noticia es tratada en diversos niveles  de dificultad teniendo en cuenta las diferentes habilidades. Por ejemplo Los ejercicios de "Listening" se muestran en  diferentes velocidades. Te puedes descargar el MP3 de cada nivel y velocidad. Es útil para tratar la diversidad en clase y fuera de clase. Ya que los alumnos pueden practicar los ejercicios auditivos en casa tranquilamente y afianzar su nivel.
La actividad del " Reading " también viene acompañada de diversos ejercicios de comprensión lectora,  vocabulario y ortografía.
Yo he trabajado estas noticias con los alumnos de  1º y 2º de Bachillerato que han elegido la optativa del Ampliación.
Para este nivel, hay una actividad que incluye las cuatro destrezas, pero con la que se puede profundizar el Listening y el Speaking. Consiste en una mini lección de dos páginas: " a 2 page printable  mini- lesson ". La gramática , el vocabulario es de un nivel  intermedio/avanzado .
Incluyo un enlace a la página web y un ejemplo de lección para Bachillerato Ampliación.
Fuente Breaking News: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/index.html
 Breaking news mini lesson-castro-obama: Link


FELIZ TARDE !!! HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON!!!