Sports quiz link

This week we will be dealing with the topic of sport and my friend Nieves has sent me this link to different exercises on the topic. Click here and you'll see how interesting it is.

How to be English! Charlie is so cool

This is the video we watched last Friday with the exercise we did in class. I hope you like it.

• Video.
• Exercise.

No one Alicia keys

Well, Estefanía suggested doing this song in class and my dear colleague Nieves devised this exercise. Just click on the different links to get to different videos and to the exercise we did in class.

• Exercise
• Video
• Video with lyrics.

Dinner time

This is the listening we did last week. Here you'll find the link to the audio and the exercise. The good thing about theis page is that you can do the exercise online and check your answers. You can also see the tapescript underneath. Just click here and you'll get there.

Food link by Laura

Laura found this link on the web. I think it's very interesting since it's got all the vocabulary we've learnt in the unit and more things. The interesting thing about it is that you can listen to all the words and phrases and practise their pronunciation. Just click here and you'll get there. Thanks Laura!

I encourage you all to do the same and send me any interesting pages or material you find on the web.

If I were a boy

I include here the activities we've done in class with the song and some links where you can watch it.

• Exercise
• Song without lyrics
• Song with lyrics

Friday 28th of November: no class

I must attend a conference in Plasencia this Friday. Therefore we'll have to put off (postpone) this Friday's lesson (28th of November). I was thinking of the 12th of December but we'll talk about it in class. See you this evening!
By the way, I have already sent you another e-mail with your writing exercises and a report. You can bring them to class today and we'll comment on them. At this stage you shouldn't pay too much attention to your mark. Try to concentrate on understanding the highlighted mistakes. I'm incredibly happy with your work in spite of the mark.

Food: fuel or pleasure

You know we are dealing with the topic of food. I've just found a couple of pages with lists of vocabulary and activities concerning food. I thought you might find them interesting.
1. Fruits and vegetables.
2. Vocabulary list.
3. Presentation on food (this is a paperport document and it's excellent since it's got lots of activities including reading and listening activities. It's name is presfood.pps)

Say a little prayer

Last week we listened to this beautiful song and we saw a funny scene of My Best Friend's Wedding where they sang the song. Here you have a list of links with all the things we did.

1. Video of the song with lyrics.
2. Original song sung by Dionne Warwick.
3. Class exercise on scene from film.
4. Whole Scene from the film.
   

I don't feel like dancing- Private Practice

I know you found this song very difficult. Here you'll be able to see the exercise again and have access to the song:

• Exercise
• Video
• Video with lyrics.

To be honest I must say that you did the exercise incredibly well and you worked really hard with the rhymes.

I have also included the exercise and the scene of Private Practice we watched on October the 31st.

• Exercise
• Scene

A typical day

Do you remember the listening exercise you were doing while the language assistant was with us? Well here you can see the exercise we did in class. And you can listen to it again here?

Are you a morning or an evening person?

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you like getting up early or late? What is the time of the day you feel at your best?. You can find out by doing THE DAILY RYTHM TEST. Do it here and write your comments (and let's hope we get more than 2 this time).

who knew

Thanks to Gloria we've listened to this beautiful song. You can see here the exercise we did in class. Besides, you can see a video with the song and lyrics here and the real video of the song here. Just enjoy it and please send me your favourite songs.

Listening File 8A

Here is at last the listening exercise we did last week and the answers. Just click here to have a look at it.

Useful links

Nieves, also teacher of NI1 and even better person has sent me this wonderful document with amazingly useful sites for you to improve and practise your English. I'm sure it has taken her an incredible amount of time to do this. Thank you Nieves!. Click here to see the document.

Talk about your week/ weekend

We've been talking about this topic in class and we're going to do an exercise with the vocab from the text we've read in class. You can click here if you want to have a look at the activity.
However what I'd love you to do right now is to introduce your comments answering the following questions:

• Do you hate weekends?

• What's your favourite day of the week?

• What's the day you hate most?

COLDPLAY VIVA LA VIDA

As I told you in class here you'll find the solutions to the exercise we did with the song. Click on the following links:

1. Exercise
2. Key

Lyrics | Viva La Vida lyrics

Back again

Hello my dear pupils and friends! Yes, it's taken me a very long time to get to the blog again and keep it up to date. You'll see it gradually getting into shape. I'd like to give a very special welcome my new students from NI1H. I hope you make the most of this tool and help me keep it up to date with your suggestions. This year I've decided to introduce a new section on links. I'd love you to get your comments on each new article we include. We´ll see how it goes.

PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE

This is a great page to practice your pronunciation. I took it from my friend Mª Jesús' excellent blog who got it from Concha Lana. It's a wonderfull tool. Click here and you'll enjoy it.

SPEAKING PRACTICE

As promised if you click here you'll find a document with all the monologues and dialogues you have done with me in your December and May oral Practice. We're missing the February part but that was an exam although we'll try to remember them in class.

READING PRACTICE ANSWERS

Here you will find the answes to the texts I gave you last Monday and Tuesday. Just click on the titles of the articles. I have also highlighted the lines where you can find the answers on the texts.

1. Ikea
2. Exams

Exam Dates

If you click here you'll have access to the dates of the exams. When I have the list with all the orals I'll also publish them here.

Linkers and connectors

Somebody asked me a few weeks ago to give you some information on linkers. I have found a good list of linkers. In the list below you'll find the links:
1. How to write better.
2. Linkers
3. Exercise 1.
4. Exercise 2.
5. Exercise 3.

Holding Out for a Hero

Last week we listened to this song in class. You can have a look at the original video of the song which was released as part of the soundtrack of the film Footloose. You can have a good laugh just by looking at the clothes and the hairstyle. If you want to know anything about Bonnie Tyler you can click here. If you want to listen to a more modern version you can have a look at this video of Jennifer Saunders

Listening Practice

Last week we did a listening comprehension exercise in class (just with NI1G, NI1F will do it on Tuesday 20th of may) . It was taken from the web. If you couldn't come to class here is the link to the exercise. I also include here a link to the webpage I took it from. It has got a lot of extra listening exercises you can do online.

Friends reunited

Hi again! I just remembered that I also promised to show you the link to Friends Reunited on the blog. Here it is at last. See you in class. Bye.

Friends will be friends

I was planning to show you this a bit earlier but unfortunately my life is getting busier and busier these days. I found this version of the song "Friends will be friends" and "We are the champions" from the famous concert Queen gave Live at Wembley Stadium in London. Just in case you can't remember the words from the song click here and you'll watch a video of the song with lyrics. Make the most of it.

For my pupils -May 2008

Dear Pupils,
As we can see this is the last month before the exams. I'd just like you to know where we are and what I have planned to do this month.
Where we are: We're on Unit 4C talking about our friends (one group has not finished 4B yet.
Classwork for the week: we'll finish 4C , we'll do a listening exercise about houses and do a song about friendship.
Homework: you must send me a written description of your house/ flat following the instructions on p. 65.
what next?: we'll continue with uni 6C and 5B (If we have time we'll do 5A as well) and that will be all.

Candle in the wind

Last week we listened to this song which originally was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. Elton John adapted it when Princess Diana died. You can watch below to a video of the song with photographs of the famous star. You can also click here if you want to listen and see the lyrics.

THAT'LL TEACH 'EM

As you can remember last week we were doing a listening exercise on this TV programme. Here you can have a look at a vocabulary exercise on the listening task.
For those of you who might be interested to know more about the show you can click here to see its website. I have also selected this link from the site where you can read about the differences between the Education Systems in the 1950's and now.

Wonderful World - Sam Cooke

Last week we listened to this famous song by Sam Cooke and you could understand the names of a lot of school subjects. This week we are going to listen to it again to practise pronunciation. I found this interesting video of the song. Let's do a small quiz with it. Can you tell me how many different historical characters come out in the video? Can you remember their names?

Is school these days easier than in the past?

This week we'll be reading a text on this topic. This text is actually based on a much longer report which was published in The Times newspaper in November, 2004. You can have a look at it here but be patient and don't read it all in one day. It's a bit long and its vocabulary could be a bit hard at first. What I would really like you to do is to write some comments on the topic. Do you really think that school nowadays is easier than in the past?

Writing Homework

This is just a reminder to those who couldn't come to class last week that I've asked my students to write an informal letter following the instructions given in the textbook on page 49. You'll have to send it to me before the 13th of april. All right? Come on and do it! It won't take you long. See you in class!

April Fools' Day

You probably had a look at the article titled "New Escalators to be built in School". As you probably guessed it was just a joke. Last Tuesday was April Fools' Day. It's typical on this day to play jokes on people. Click here and you'll read an article on the different theories about the origin of this custom.

Never give up

As you know we've read in class about Nathalie du Toit and Bethany Hamilton. They both have their own web pages. Click on their names and you'll have access to them.
Also if you click here you'll be able to see the reading exercise on Nathalie du Toit's life I've handed out in class. The answers are available here.
You can also see bellow a short video of Bethany Hamilton.

To the brave poem readers

I just wanted to thank all the people who came to the School Day Party and specially to Mari Cruz and Emi, Jose and Tati who read so well two of my favourite Byron's poems. And just to show you and the people who missed it that poetry is always alive you can watch the following videos of both poems.
We'll go no more a-roving (read poem).


She walks in Beauty (read poem)

Rockstar- Nickelback

What are your ambitions? What did you want to be when you were little? Did you succeed? Did you ever aim to be a rock star? This is just a lively song we're going to use in class as a good way to get down to business after Easter. Click here and you'll see the exercise we've done in class with the solutions.

Nickelback Lyrics

School Day Slideshow

The school day was a great success. Lots of people took part in the different activities and we had a great time. I was very happy to see many people there from NI1F and NI1G. Thank you everyone. I am specially grateful to Emy, Mª Cruz and Tati and Jose who did so well reading poems. And for those of you who didn't turn up you can see what you missed below. The photographs were taken by José Ignacio (Head of the Portuguese Department and a great fellow) HAPPY EASTER!

Dia del centro

As you know this Thursday, 13th of March. We celebrate "El Día del Centro". The activities are as follows:

• 18.00. Eurotrivial. A cultural quiz with questions on all the languages you learn at the school.
• 19.00. Poetry Reading: we'll be reading poems in 5 languages. By the way, this afternoon/ evening we'll be choosing a poem you'd like to share with the rest of the school.
• 20.00 Party. All the pupils will bring something to eat and drink in order to share it with everybody else at the party.

Don't miss it! You know it's nice to see you outside class.

File 3C listening. Vocabulary exercise

Dear pupils,
We're going to do this exercise in class but just in case you can't come (let's hope that doesn't happen) it will be available in the following link. See you.

Modal Verbs

Click here and you'll have access to a very interesting page where you can find useful explanations and exercises on Modal verbs.

Relax

NI1F listened to a different song. Here is a karaoke version of it. Don't complain!

Song of the week. This is the song we've been listening to this week in NI1G. Here you have a version with lyrics. Make the most of it.