poppies

poppies

3.11.13

USEFUL YOUTUBE CLASSES

Hello everybody
check these classes on youtube, you will find them interesting.
I am pasting here the link to a blog that collects sites like these. Once you find your "favourite" teachers you can follow their classes on youtube..
It's a wonderful opportunity to listen, learn pronunciation and fluency, check on specific grammar items.
Enjoy

http://elblogdeffuentes.cl/blog/?p=1256


posting here one example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZJ1Q3GSuI#t=421

2.11.13

Halloween

hi guys,
Halloween is over and so is our contest.
I would like to thank all of you again for taking part either writing or voting and for humouring your teacher and preparing and performing the stories in class in just half an hour or so :)
You were very creative and funny and I think we all had a good time.
Best moments of the performances:
The students from different groups playing the taxi drivers to Liia's story: all of them swearing (one of them in Spanish..)
The lights going off and the screams
"The disco" in Complicedelaley'story, various students dancing and simulating flirting.
The "hoodies" used by the boys to be either good (hoodie down) or evil (hoodie up)
The "dead woman" girls in Liia's story (fortunately all of them  had long hair and could use it in a scary way)
Some very good performances including changing one's voice and movements (I particulary remember Jessica's...and she was under the weather..can't imagine what she can do when she's healthy :)
The performance of the boys playing the old husband (both voice and attitude)...even though they stayed on the other side of the class door in the corridor and we couldnt see much :)
The Whatsapp story:  earlier advanced 2 level.....really funny!! The three students doing that story were really in for a comedy performance (and they were very lively and over-gesturing..which made our delight) and the other group actually cutting out paper mobile phones and smartphones....including water (blood) spilling (I think Miriam got most of the water on her..).BTW sorry if the image of the devil on the wall flat screen didn't appear in sync... The amazing sync effect as another group represented the Whatsapp story (they recorded the messages outside the classroom and played them during the performance so that they gave the illusion of being real time messages coming from the different corners of the class)
The Errant Hypnotist story, chosen by only one brave group. Though difficult to represent you sorted it out very well.
And I liked you guys from all groups using voice over narration and what devices you could think of, like using up all my lipstick (glad you did), making props (like Jose's cloak out of a garbage bag and staples), using my toy owl, cup, bell, umbrellas, the music background ( even though we had some overlapping of rain/storm, music and speaking sometimes..). and what have you..

Well guys...hope we will have the chance to do something like that again. Next year we'll repeat for sure..



30.10.13

THE WINNER................

Hello everybody, after your many votes last night we finally have a winner :).

Congratulations to Complicedelaley (aka Vanesa, Advanced 2-E) with 10 points. Her terror wooden house has definitely made an impact. 

Given the success of this year's contest and the many stories, I feel compelled to award a second prize. 
It goes to Ewe (aka Raquel, Advanced 1-D) and her "delicate girl in a brutal world" which got 6 points.
We will celebrate during your classes today and tomorrow. Thanks all for participating and for presenting us with your imaginative, funny, thought-provoking, surprising,  haunting and blood curdling stories.
I can't finish this post without mentioning the other tales that were also voted: 
Rosa's Bloody Whatsapp, Esmeralda's Errant Hypnotist, Miriam's play between dream/reality, Liia's Special Client, Diego's Witches!, Manuel's Death and the Clown, Isa's Blue Door, Carlos' Thoughts of a Scythe murderer, Jessica's wonderful poem GRR GRR, Sergei's Aliens and the Zombies. 
And thanks to all of you who contributed.
See you in class....Happy Halloween



22.10.13

VOTE HERE FOR THE HALLOWEEN MINI-STORY CONTEST



Boys and girls, here is your voting space. Choose just one story (that you will identify with the author's name (nickname)
You have a few days to read the stories and choose your favourite.  Deadline: 29th October.
Enjoy the reading
M

7.10.13

HALLOWEEN MINI STORY CONTEST 2013

Hi everybody, as usual, we are going to start this course with a writing contest.
All my students, regardless of their level, can take part and enter a Halloween story. As to voting..anyone following the blog can vote their favourite tale.

Here are the regulations:

The story will be submitted on this blog under this Halloween post, as a comment (you will need a Google account registration and a nick-password to "sign" your comments).
It cannot be longer than 10 lines and has to be creepy, spooky or related to Halloween.
The deadline for posting stories is 22nd October.
Once the submission period is over, I will provide another post/space on this blog for all of you (even those who didn't participate)  to choose their favourite mini-story (by posting a comment indicating their preference).
Voting time will be from 23rd to 29th October. 
Once we have the most voted story, the winner will read it to the class, be congratulated and given a little prize
Good luck and enjoy the contest!

BACK TO SCHOOL....

Hi old and new students,
we are finally about to start the new course and I think you will find this link interesting.
It gives you ideas on how to improve your English for free, using internet resources.

Enjoy..


http://www.sinmiedoalingles.com/1902/se-puede-aprender-ingles-sin-gastar-dinero/

18.6.13

LISTENING INTERMEDIATE

Hi guys,
here's a useful link to short listening comprehension dialogues (Am. English).
The level is a bit high to be an intermediate...but I think it's good practice anyway.
Enjoy

http://es.talkenglish.com/Listening/ListenIntermediate.aspx

21.2.13

INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED

Hi boys and girls,

since there's a lot of talking about the Oscar these days,  why not check your knowledge of film language?

here's  a link to a quiz on the Oxford dictionary website.

enjoy!

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/02/oxfordwords-film-quiz/

13.2.13

INTERMEDIATE TWO, MODAL VERBS

Follow this link to practise mixed modal verbs

http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/multi/modal1.htm

ADVANCED 2: MODAL VERBS REVIEW

hi boys and girls, here are some exercises to brush up those modal verbs. You have plenty of links on this site below...enjoy


http://www.englishpage.com/modals/modalintro.html

6.2.13

COMPLAINT LETTER ADVANCED

hello everybody! here are some examples of complaint letters (with useful sentences etc.)

http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/complaint_letter_constructor.htm