As many of you know, some students from our school are taking part in the competition "English Movie" organised by Cambridge University Press. English movie is a competition for short films in English which began as part of the promotional launch fro Next Generation, a Bachillerato course. However, the overwhilming response to this programme, with more than 150 entries and over 800 participants, showed the organisers that this type of initiative is a worthy project in its own right.
Your mates have made a huge effort to film two short movies about your age and your problems. So, why don´t you help them to win a prize with your votes?
Enter www. thenextgeneration.es.
Search for : The era I have to leave or Elaunita´s News.
Vote for them.
The deadline is May 15th. The more you vote for them, the better chances they will have to win one of the magnificent prizes. Good luck!
Have a look at the masterpieces! Any suggestions?
On April 23rd and 24th, we celebrated the Book Day at school. There were lots of wonderful activities we all enjoyed , but I have picked up one which is specially close to my heart. My students of 31 Diversificacion recited the poem "The Power of Believing" by Patti King-DeBaum.
You can watch and read the poem at the same time:
Believe that all students can learn something and should be given the right to.
Believe that all students can communicate and should be given the right to.
Believe that all students can choose and should be given the right to do so.
Believe in hope.
Believe that small miracles are the best.
Believe that each individual has something positive and valuable to share with you.
Believe that if there is a will, there is a way.
Believe that you always have something positive to give to individuals, no matter the abilities they have.
Believe in patience.
Believe that if you believe...your students will believe.
I have picked up two quotes about books I would like to share with you:
Let books be your dining table,
And you shall be full of delights
Let them be your mattress
And you shall sleep restful nights.
Unknown author
A piece of advice:
T.V. Kids, if you are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun you will have with the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Open your imagination. Open a book!
But watch out!. As Helen Exley explained: "Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labelled,"This could change your life".
Here is a list of the books that, at some point in my life, changed it for better.
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
2. Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy.
3. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.
4. The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
5. The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson.
Can you make this list longer? Has any book changed your life? Let us all know!.
Impressive!
A very interesting way to enjoy the wonders of this country!
How many different famous sites can you spot?
American English is also different from British English. Here you have a list of words which depict the same thing, but are said "the American style".
American British Spanish
soccer football fútbol gasolin/ oil petrol gasolina apartment flat piso cell phone mobile móvil vacation holiday vacaciones cookie biscuit galleta candy sweet caramelo fries chips patatas fritas airplane areoplane avión sidewalk pavement acera elevator lift ascensor subway underground metro
Just before the Easter holidays, students from ESO 31 D took part in a very funny activity called EASTER TRIVIA. They really got into it and enjoyed it very much . That is the reason why I am going to explain the procedure in case any other teacher wants to do this activity with his/her own students.
STEP 1. DIVIDE THE STUDENTS INTO GROUPS.
Each group is linked to a colour . In this case, there were four groups: WHITE, PINK, GREEN and BLUE.
Depending on the group ratio, you can have four / five pupils in each group. Do not let students make the groups. They will always tend to stay with their own friends or join the cleverest pupil in the class. (specially when they know there will be a prize for the winners at the end). Try to make balanced groups and do not forget to include your disabled students (if you have them).
Blue Group
STEP 2. PREPARE THE QUESTIONS.
You have to prepare about twenty multiple-choice questions on Easter. The questions shouldn´t be easy at all, since students will have to look for the answers later on.
Here is an example:
According to the song, how much money is a Hot Cross Bun (typical Easter sweet)?
A. Two pounds.
B. One penny.
C. Two euros.
D. Nothing, it´s free.
Then, divide the twenty questions in groups of five and write them in four different papers with the colours of the groups you have made before. All the students have the same questions, but each group will deal with them at a different time. Do not worry they will tell the other groups the answers. They NEVER do, because all of them want to win.
STEP 3. LOOK FOR VOLUNTEERS.
Other teachers who have no class at that time, the caretakers, people in the canteen, anybody will do. Once you explain to them what they have to do, they will do it happily.
And what do they have to do?
First, check that the answers are the correct ones. (very easy, because they always check the same questions and because you have given them the key previously). Then, put a sticker on the paper to show thay have done one part of the questionnaire and give them some chocolate eggs as a motivating prize. Finally, they have to send the group to another volunteer who will continue with the game by giving the students new questions.
We did it like this:
WHITE GROUP PERSON IN CHARGE.- LAURA (Photocopy room assistant) SEND THEM TO: MARIBEL
& TRINI.(caretakers)
PINK GROUP PERSON IN CHARGE.- MARIBEL AND TRINI SEND THEM TO: EDU
(canteen owner)
GREEN GROUP PERSON IN CHARGE.- EDU SEND THEM TO : PILAR (Head of studies)
BLUE GROUP PERSON IN CHARGE.- PILAR SEND THEM TO: LAURA
Once they finish the twenty questions, they always have to go back to you, who will check they have the four stickers, one on each page (Besides, the stickers are different. In that way, you can know for sure if they have bribed one of the volunteers).
STEP 4. WORK OUT THE ANSWERS OF THE TRIVIA.
They will need the new technologies to find the answers to the questions. The Internet, mobiles, everything will do, and , of course, LOTS of IMAGINATION.
The first group to finish is ....THE WINNER.
STEP 5. CELEBRATE !
This year, Andrea and Blanca were the winners! Here they are with their Easter Bunnies.
The Arnolfini Portrait is one of the most complex paintings of the Renaissance and contains many elements of the compositions that suggest its meaning.
The Arnolfini Portrait depicts a man and a woman, generally assumed to be the Arnolfinis, in what appears to be a domestic bedroom. Both are well dressed, as opposed to wearing the garb of servants or peasants, and are holding hands. The painting is of a generally symmetrical composition with the man and woman balancing each other, standing on either side of a small circular mirror.
Directly above it is the signature of Jan van Eyck. The painting itself is quite small (only 82.2 x 60 cm) and is in portrait form. Despite its size it has remarkably fine details in the various objects situated around the room.
WHAT CAN WE SEE IN THE PAINTING?
It´s a portrait of a couple.Giovanni and Giovanna Arnolfini look at each other while holding hands. Both of them are Italian, but they live in Bruges,Flanders (Belgium),far away from their home country. It is in Bruges where they commissioned this painting in the XVth century.
Let´s look at this painting in detail:
THEY HAVE DOT A DOG. The dog is standing between them. It is calm like his owners. It is next to the wife, probably because it was used to spending a lot of time with her.Lap dogs were popular companions with the ladies of the court and as such could have been included as a status symbol. However, while dogs were commonly representative of carnality, as the dog is clearly placed below her feet in this composition, it could be a symbol of marital fidelity and fertility potentially strengthening the idea that the painting is a depiction, if not a document of, a marriage.
IS THE WOMAN PREGNANT?
Probably not. The painter represented the woman with a round belly because it was the fashion at that time. Women even put a small cushion underneath their dresses to get the look.
THEY ARE WEARING WINTER CLOTHES.
It was cold in Brugues in the winter. The man is wearing a hat, so he has just returned home or is about to leave.The coats were made of velvet, a material only few people could afford.
THERE ARE SHOES ON THE FLOOR.
The clogs that appear on the left side corner belong to Mr. Giovnni. People at this time used to wear clogs on the shoes to prevent them from getting dirty with the mud in the streets. The red shoes at the back are Mrs. Arnolfini´s. They are the equivalent to our slippers. They add a sense of familiarity to the painting.
WHERE ARE THEY?
Although we can see a big, red bed , this is not their bedroom. This type of furniture was used to decorate rooms, but nobody slept on that bed. This is probably the room where they met visitors.
THERE IS SOME FRUIT ON THE WINDOW SILL.
They give a sense of warmth to the darkest area of the painting. Oranges, which came from Spain,were very expensive. They were used not only to be eaten but also to perfume the house. The apple, on the other hand, is a symbol of Paradise. It represents the fruit from the tree of Knowledge.
THERE IS A MIRROR ON THE BACK WALL.
It is a convex mirror that reflects the whole room.
It depicts two additional figures’, one of which is believed to be van Eyck himself, surrounded by a frame that contains ten spherical glasses representing the various scenes from the Passion of Christ. Next to the mirror is a string of prayer-beads or rosary.
The mirror and prayer beads play an important part in the composition and are clearly significant given the central location. The meaning behind the symbology of the mirror is as varied as the interpretations of the painting itself. The beads and images of the Passion are clearly symbols of Christianity, with the beads reflecting a sequence of prayers to the Virgin Mary and the mirror depicting images of the passion; the suffering and death of Christ.
While it is agreed that the mirror and beads are religious icons, the purpose of the depiction is not clear. Some believe the portrait is designed as an aid to business, that the mirror and prayer-beads show general good Christian piety to prove honesty in business, as deceitful business dealings were difficult to fight in court. Thus it was important to show ‘good faith’, a term which has remained in the modern vernacular.
This mirror has been the inspiration of many others in the history of art. Probably the most famous one was in "Las Meninas" by Velazquez. However, it is unlikely that Velazquez had seen this painting.
The idea of the mirror reflecting figures we don´t actually see has been used once and again throughout the centuries. We can even buy the Arnolfini´s mirror in our days. Here you have one I saw in a shop in Venice. Mind you, it was really expensive!
WHAT CAN WE SEE ABOVE THE MIRROR?
The painter wrote his name in big letters on the rear wall. He wrote in Latin, because it was the language of culture.He said: "Johannes de eyck fuit hic 1434" which means " Jan Van Eyck was here,1434". He was so proud of his work he wanted everyone to know he was the author, but besides, he wanted everybody to know he was physically in the portrait- reflected in the mirror!
WHY IS THIS PORTRAIT SO SPECIAL?
It is a unique painting. In the XVth century, most of the paintings were religious. This was the first time two common people were portrayed of entire body. They hired a painter to show the world they were successful and rich. This is not new for us now, but this was the first time something like that happened. Even nowadays, only wealthy people have their portraits made. If we could transfer this couple to our present life, they would appear like this,
The Arnolfini Marriage has inspired many other painters and artists. You can see its influence on the following works
So, if you ever go to London, don´t forget to go to the National Gallery and see this small, beautiful oil on oak panel. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!
Do you know the irregular verbs? Do you find them difficult to learn? That is history! From now on, you will not only know them, but also have a lot of fun while learning them. Try this new game for your iPad.
Valentine´s Day is February 14th. It is not a holiday, but it is a special day for many people in different countries around the world. Each year on Valentine´s Day, friends and lovers exchange valentine cards,chocolates, candy, flowers, and other gifts. Children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a decorated mailbox at school. On February 14th, the teacher opens the box and distributes the cards to the students. Many schools also celebrate Valentine´s Day with parties. Some people like to go to a romantic restaurant on Valentine´s Day to celebrate. People of all ages love to send and receive valentines.
There are many symbols of Valentine´s Day, such as hearts, roses and cupids. The symbol of cupid comes from ancient Roman times. Cupid was the son of the love goddess, Venus. Cupid was a playful child who flew around shooting love arrows into people´s hearts, making them fall in love.
Have you ever fallen in love? Have you ever declared your love to another person? There have been thousands of love declarations in the history of cinema. We are showing you three famous ones here. Which one is the best for you? Why? Add your comments.
The Notebook
My dearest Ally,
I couldnt sleep last night because I know it's over between us. I'm not
bitter anymore because I know what we had was real. And if in some distant
place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I will smile at you
with joy and remember how we spent a summer beneath the trees learning from
each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the
soul and makes us reach for more and that plants a fire in our hearts and
brings peace to our minds and that's what you've given me and that's what
I'd hope to give to you forever. I love you; I'll be seeing you.
Noah
Love Actually
Runaway Bride
Maggie Carpenter: I love you, Homer Eisenhower Graham. Will you marry me? Ike Graham: I... I've got to think about this a little bit. Maggie Carpenter: Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Ike Graham: [laughing] You were not! Maggie Carpenter: I was, because if you said "yes" right away, then I wouldn't get to say this next part, and I've been practicing.
[Maggie sits down, clears her throat] Maggie Carpenter: Ready? Ike Graham: I'm listening. Maggie Carpenter: I guarantee there'll be tough times. I guarantee that at some point, one or both of us is going to want get out. But I also guarantee...
[starts to cry] Maggie Carpenter: ...that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Because I know in my heart... you're the only one for me.
Would you add a new one? I´m looking forward to your suggestions!
And now some idioms and expressions related to love:
1. blind date.- a social meeting or date with someone you have never met before (the date has been arranged by a friend or family member).
2. to fall (or be) head over heels in love .- to love someone very much
3. to be madly in love.- to love someone very much
4. to be crazy about someone.- to like someone very much
5. to have a crush on somebody.- to like someone very much
6. puppy love .- young love between children or teenagers.
7. pop the question.- to ask someone to marry you
8. love at first sight.- falling ion love the first time you meet soemone
9. love is blind.- people do not see the fauklts in their lovers
10. love conquers all.- love is strong enough to overcome all problems
And last but not least...my two presents for you on Valentine´s Day: a poem and a song. Hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!
Sonnet XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer´s day?
Thou art more lovely a nd more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer´s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm´d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature´s changing course, untrimm´d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander´st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
How can you start a conversation when you don´t know what to say?
Here are some key expressions you can use to "break the ice".
Starting a conversation:
Can I join you?
I hear you work for.../you study at ...
Is this your first time....?
What do you think of...?
Offering : Responding:
Can I help you? Yes, please.
Can I get you something...? Yes, of course.
Would you like another...? Yes, that´s right.
Please take a seat. No, thanks. I´m fine.
Finishing aconversation:
Please, excuse me.
Nice talking to you.
See you later.
Now, let´s practice it. Dani and Piotr (Gestión Administrativa) are at a conference cocktail party. Maybe their tone is not particularly right for the situation, but they could hardly say a word in English at the beginning of the course. Well done, boys! Keep working!
But it wasn´t so easy... Here is just one outtake....to have a laugh!
March 17th is St. Patrick´s Day. This is Ireland´s most important national holiday, but it is also a special day for Irish people living throughout the world. On St. Patrick´s Day, people of Irish descent wear the colour green. This is the national colour of Ireland. It is the colour of the shamrock, the plant with three leaves on a single stem. The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick´s Day.
In many cities, St. Patrick´s Day is celebrated with parades, dances, and festive dinners. People greet each other with good wishes and often send cards to each other. Many stores are filled with green decorations and cakes and candies are often decorated with the colour green. Some restaurants and pubs even sell green beer!
But WHO WAS ST. PATRICK?
St. Patrick was born at the end of the 4th century in Britain. When he was 16, he was kidnapped from his home by a group of Irish pirates and taken to Ireland. There, he was sold as a slave and had to work for the next six years as a shepherd. When Patrick was living in Ireland as a slave, he had a very lonely life and he turned to religion for comfort. After six long years of slavery, at the age of 22, he escaped to France and began to study the Bible. Later he became a priest and decided to return to Ireland to convert the people to Christianity. He was a brave man and people admired him. He travelled all over the country setting up schools and churches for the Irish people. He also worked very hard to develop a strong national spirit in the country.
There are many stories about him. The most famous one is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland. That is why there aren´t any snakes in Ireland today.
He died on March 17th, 461. Ever since his death, March 17th has been celebrated as St. Patrick´s Day. It is an important day for the Irish because it celebrates the conversion of Ireland to Christianity. Nowadays, it is also a special day to celebrate one´s Irish traditions and to have fun.
