big bottle

AVANZADO 1

2012-01-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hi boys and girls,
here, as I promised Alicia, are a few sentences to translate into English...you can hand them in along this week :-)
1- No estaba acostumbrado a comer pescado, pero cuando me mudé a Japón tuve que acostumbrarme.
2- Cuando vivía en Inglaterra solía ir al trabajo andando todas las mañanas
3-Solía ser tikismikis (vocab learnt these past months) con los horarios de las comidas, pero cuando empecé a compartir piso con otras personas me acostumbré a tomármelo con tranquilidad..
4-Si nos acostumbraramos a ver la tele en Inglés aprenderíamos mucho más rápido.

ok, there it is....looking forward to reading your translated sentences..
Monica

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

2012-01-09T01:07:00.000-08:00

hello students Happy New Year!
I guess that most of you have some new year's resolutions for 2012.
Well, for those of you who set out to improve your listening skills, I am providing a link with a lot of useful "fill in the gap exercises" made out of real material (cartoons, interviews, etc.).
The levels are mixed depending on the video, but generally from intermediate two to advanced.
I hope some of you find it useful: http://www.nobuna.com/lessons?page=2
see you in class
:-)

ADVANCED LEVEL

2011-11-21T02:32:00.001-08:00

Hi boys and girls, here are a few links you may find useful.
The first one is to practise listening comprehension exercises (multiple choice etc.) from elementary to advanced.: http://www.ompersonal.com.ar/omlisten/contenidotematico.htm

the following links are to check present perfect and pr. perfect continuous and do some exercises. Have a good time ;-)
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

http://www.learn4good.com/languages/evrd_grammar/presentpcont_exc.htm

AND THE WINNER IS......

2011-11-09T02:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Sonia G.!!!
You got 5 votes for your story :-)
Thanks everybody for taking part in the contest, either contributing with a story or just voting your favourite.
Sonia will get a little prize very soon ;-)
Here is her Halloween ministory for everyone to read again

The spot
It was one of those nights you can’t’ sleep. A dim light was coming through the window in my room. I stared at a spot on the wall. It wasn’t there yesterday. As I approached, it became larger, revealing a hole. An enormous hole. Suddenly a hand came out from it and put me inside. I yelled terrified. I couldn’t listen nothing, only my rapid breathing, I managed to catch something through the hole. It was like the bed I guessed, the only thing that bound me with the real world. Even frightened my body reacted and with a big effort, I pushed myself. I thought I would not make it. Now I was on the floor of my room, exhausted and confused. I can’t remember more. The next day I woke up as usually. I hardly recall my dream but below the wall in the place the spot had been, I found wet floor and with peeling wall remains. A dream?

VOTE YOUR FAVOURITE HALLOWEEN STORY

2011-11-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

hi everybody!
it is time to vote your favourite story. Voting time starts on 2nd November and ends on 8th November (so that you have time to read all the stories through and make up your mind).
Post your vote here.
Good luck to all the participants :-)

HALLOWEEN MINI STORY CONTEST

2011-10-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

hi boys and girls, as it is usual this time of the year I would like you to enter a mini story contest.

You must publish it here as a comment, it must be up to 70 words and it must revolve around spooky, scary, eerie events.

The deadline for posting your stories is 1st of November and the "voting period" is from 2nd to 8th November.You are welcome to vote even though you haven't contributed a story.

The story with the most votes will win its writer a little a prize

Enjoy!

USEFUL LINKS-ALL LEVELS

2011-10-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, I am posting here some links I got from a colleague.

Many of them may help you improve pronunciation. Why not explore them?

see you in class

Monica

http://pronunciaringles.com/

http://notendur.hi.is/peturk/KENNSLA/02/02schedule.html

http://www.autoenglish.org/download.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/fl/espanglishtips/

http://www.bibloworld.com/epages/61560601.sf/es_ES/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61560601/Products/Teach-Yourself-English-Pronunciation

http://whimsicalenglish.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kAPHyHd7Lo

on responsibility

2011-10-11T00:46:00.001-07:00

hi guys, as it has become my habit these past weeks, I am pasting another link (this time from El Pais) in the hope that students (and families, and people in general) understand our predicament and the reasons why we are protesting and going on strike.

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/opinion/cuestion/responsbilidad/elpepiopi/20111009elpepiopi_8/Tes

It's not the two hours' increase as they want people to believe: letter to the media by an EOI colleague.

2011-10-03T03:23:00.001-07:00

bs

Carta a los medios que difunden que nos movilizamos por el aumento de las horas lectivas

Carta a los medios que difunden que nos movilizamos por el aumento de las horas lectivas

Estimados señores:

Como profesores de enseñanza secundaria de Madrid queremos transmitir nuestro malestar por las informaciones aparecidas en su medio de comunicación sobre nuestras movilizaciones contra los recortes educativos.

Nos parece no ajustado a la realidad que se difunda la idea de que los profesores nos estamos quejando por el aumento de horas lectivas.

En ninguna de las Asambleas ningún profesor se quejó del aumento de horas lectivas. Ninguna de las reivindicaciones va en esa dirección. Los docentes e implicados en educación expusimos nuestro rechazo a las instrucciones de inicio de curso y sus consecuencias:

- Disminución radical del número de profesores en los centros, 15%, pese al aumento de alumnos. 3000 profesionales al paro.
- Aumento de alumnos por aula
- El aumento de las 2 horas supone menos horas de guardia, de coordinación interna, etc Lo que dificulta gravemente el funcionamiento de los centros y fomenta el aumento de problemas de disciplina en el aula
- Al no haber profesorado suficiente se eliminan los apoyos, refuerzos, desdobles, laboratorios, clases en el aula de informática, pizarra digital, conversación en inglés, etc
- Supresión de la tutoría grupal, sustituyéndola por un parche incomprensible de tutoría individual sin dar horas para ello. Esta es una hora irrenunciable por la necesidad que de ella tienen los alumnos. No supone ninguna ventaja para el profesor.
- Para cuadrar los horarios hay profesores que tienen que dar asignaturas que no son las suyas, como profesores de educación física dando matemáticas, profesor de inglés dando literatura, etc, perdiendo un pilar de la ESO: la especialización.

Pese a lo que dice la Consejería, el perjuicio principal es para los alumnos y para la calidad de la educación que reciben.

Lo de las 2 horas es una cortina de humo de la Consejería. Ustedes, sin querer, están contribuyendo a confundir a la ciudadanía en lugar de informarla.

Sabemos que estamos en crisis y, como consecuencia de ello, hemos visto recortados nuestros sueldos. En este sentido, comprendimos que teníamos que ser solidarios con la situación y con nuestro país y entendimos que había que hacer un esfuerzo.

Si entonces no hicimos huelga, ¿cómo vamos a hacerla ahora solo por dos horas lectivas? Estas dos horas lectivas no suponen nada en el horario de un solo profesor, trabajamos 37,5 y lo seguiremos haciendo. Aumentar dos horas de clase, supone reducirlas de otras funciones que tenemos los profesores, de carácter organizativo, administrativo, etc esenciales para el funcionamiento de los centros. Pero además, es que el despido de 3000 profesores no se cubre con dos horas más. Aun faltaría profesores para poder dar el servicio que se daba antes.

Necesitamos asegurar para las generaciones futuras una buena educación, que es lo que todos los padres quieren para sus hijos. Sólo con la inversión en Educación Pública conseguiremos cambiar nuestro modelo productivo y comenzar a salir de esta crisis.

Los profesores están dispuestos a perder dinero, en los días de huelga, con tal de que se mantenga la calidad de la educación para toda la ciudadanía.

Lo que más nos indigna son los insultos de nuestros jefes, la Consejera y la Comunidad. ¿Cómo van a respetarnos los alumnos si los representantes políticos nos insultan? No olvidemos la campaña, y el dinero que costó, con el lema “Apoyemos y Respetemos a nuestros profesores” que la Comunidad de Madrid lanzó a bombo y platillo con la Ley de autoridad pública.

Otra cuestión es si los recortes no son tan necesarios. En tiempos de crisis ¿la educación es prescindible o no? ¿De qué partidas vamos a recortar? ¿Qué partidas queremos salvar? ¿Vamos a prescindir de la Educación Pública? Esa es la cuestión.

La Educación Pública garantiza igualdad de oportunidades a todos y para todos independientemente de sus condiciones sociales y económicas. No se puede recortar de ahí y menos de la partida de recursos humanos, que es el pilar básico.

Estos recortes no son tan necesarios como los pintan. 80 millones de euros de un presupuesto de 4500 millones es una migaja. El daño que se hace a los 100.000 alumnos es demoledor y no lo justifica.

Existen otra partidas de las que se puede recortar, sobre todo después de ver el despliegue de la JMJ, la propuesta para las Olimpiadas, el despilfarro en Telemadrid, etc. Pero hablando de educación, observen que existe una desgravación en el IRPF para las familias que llevan a sus hijos a colegios de pago (hasta 900 euros por familia) que ha supuesto que la Comunidad de Madrid deje de ingresar 90 millones de euros. Ahora se ahorra 80 millones despidiendo a 3000 profesores necesarios. ¿Es esto de recibo?

Mermar la educación pública es mermar el derecho constitucional de todos los ciudadanos a una educación de calidad que hasta ahora podían encontrar en la escuela pública.

Pueden ver los resultados de selectividad, CDI, acceso al bachillerato de excelencia, etc. Estos resultados están a la par, incluso por encima, de otras modalidades educativas más caras para los padres.

Nos parece fuera de tono que un asunto tan importante como la Educación, aparezca en sus medios como un asunto exclusivamente de horas que se imparten. No es ese el debate que queremos leer ni escuchar. Necesitamos una prensa seria y rigurosa que haga su oficio con honestidad para que los ciudadanos puedan construirse una opinión sobre este asunto .

Les pediría el máximo rigor posible, sin dar crédito únicamente a la información difundida desde organismos oficiales, y que probablemente resulta tendenciosa.

Sabemos que la labor periodística nunca es fácil y que la inmediatez en ocasiones perjudica la información.

Lamentamos que nuestras reivindicaciones sean demasiadas para sintetizarlas en un titular llamativo para los usuarios de su medio, pero en ocasiones, la realidad es demasiado compleja para meterla en una única frase.
Apelamos a la calidad y seriedad de su medio

How are EOIs affected by the new instructions?

2011-09-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/madrid/recorte/educativo/sacude/mayor/escuela/idiomas/Espana/elpepuespmad/20110917elpmad_6/Tes

PROTEST IN MADRID 14TH SEPT. VIDEO

2011-09-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

hi guys, watch and listen to the "other side" of the story

http://www.ccoomadrid.es/canalms/menu.do?Inicio:15124

Good luck Intermedio 2

2011-09-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

Some of you will take their oral exam today.It's just the first step towards the obtention of the B1 Certificate, but it's an important one, due to the difficulty of showing your level in a few minutes

a few tips:

-Relax

-Cover all the points requested in the cards.

-Show your level, the structures and vocabulary you have learnt this past year ( a basic level performance may be a fail, even if your grammar is correct. Basic content and basic grammar is NOT what is being assessed for this certificate)

-Make sure you speak enough (otherwise teachers won't have enough information to assess you)

-Avoid monopolising conversations. If your partners cannot "get a word in edgeways" because you are talking all the time, this attitude will be penalised in the "adecuación a la tarea/interacción" section.

And by the way, check the Feel the Power link in My Favourite Links for podcasts websites...

Good luck boys and girls....don't forget there's a street protest in favour of public education this morning. It starts at Plaza Cervantes at 12.00

More about public education and our predicament...

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Illustrative article on a teacher's job...

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/Educacion/juego/elpepusoc/20110904elpepusoc_3/Tes

for public education.....

2011-09-07T04:24:00.001-07:00

It's time to take sides boys and girls, don't let teachers fight alone in this .

The letter pasted below is the answer of one colleague to the letter Esperanza Aguirre sent each teacher this month As regards the exams, as they came this September, some of your class mates are going to write a letter of complaint to Consejería (through the DAT Este, in Alcalá).

It would be also good if students complained about that "thing" they are building in the middle of our school yard, which worries us in terms of security and emergency evacuation.

They won't listen to teachers, but they will listen to students/users.

Enjoy the letter....

MUCHAS GRACIAS SEÑORA AGUIRRE

¡¡¡Por fin!!! Estoy realmente encantada con trabajar 20 horas semanales y pensé que este día no iba a llegar nunca. ¿De verdad que ya no vamos a tener que cumplir con los artículos 70 a 81 de la Orden Ministerial de 29 de junio de 1994 que establecía que los docentes trabajamos 37 horas y media? ¿Es cierto que ya no tengo que permanecer en el centro 27 períodos semanales y dedicar 10 horas y media semanales a claustros, juntas de evaluación, preparar mis clases, preparar exámenes y corregirlos? ¿Ya no hay exámenes? ¿Puedo decir chorradas durante 55 minutos a 30 menores de edad porque ya no tengo que preparar lo que les voy a contar? ¿Me ha quitado usted por fin esas horribles horas complementarias en las que yo hacía guardias de patio? ¿No sustituiré a mis compañeros cuando falten, ni atenderé a la biblioteca a razón de 5 horas semanales? ¿Ya no tendré que coordinarme con mi jefe de departamento una hora a la semana para que supervise el cumplimiento de una programación que no tendré que preparar nunca más? ¿Ya no voy a ser tutora? Entonces… ¿Ya no tendré que acudir a esas tediosas reuniones de tutores para coordinar el plan de acción tutorial con la orientadora? ¿Ya no tendré que tratar nunca más en la hora de tutoría que, afortunadamente ya no existe, de temas tan intrascendentes para nuestros alumnos como la resolución de conflictos, la autoestima, el compañerismo, el tabaquismo, la anorexia, etc.? ¿No tendré que controlar el absentismo de los alumnos de la tutoría que nunca me asignarán? ¿No tendré que detectar nunca más las carencias, los problemas y las necesidades de mis alumnos? porque, entiendo que no tendré tiempo en mi horario semanal de 20 horas de clase mondas y lirondas para coordinarme con el departamento de orientación. ¿Ya no pasaré una hora semanal haciendo llamaditas a las casas para contactar con las familias e informar de cómo evolucionan los niños? ¿Ya no voy a tener que recibir nunca más a los padres preocupados por sus retoños porque sólo voy a dar 20 horas de clase semanales? Esto, además, aumentará enormemente la productividad en la comunidad de Madrid: ¿Qué es eso de pedir permiso en el trabajo para entrevistarte con el tutor de tu hijo?

Le transmito también el agradecimiento de los profesores de ciencias de mi centro pues ya no tendrán que preparar las prácticas de laboratorio que nunca harán. Por cierto, ¿vendemos el mobiliario y el material de los laboratorios del centro a la privada para sacar unas perrillas y superar el déficit o se lo regalamos a los de la concertada que son colegas? ¿Vendemos el fondo de la biblioteca que nunca más se abrirá? Podemos sacarnos un pastizal, sería una pequeña contribución de la educación pública para la creación de esa fabulosa policía autonómica que desea usted crear, si lo suma a lo que se ha ahorrado usted dejando en su casa a 1424 FUNCIONARIOS (NO INTERINOS) de secundaria sacaría adelante la policía y un ejército privado si se le pone a su señoría, que usted lo vale. También me comunican los compañeros de lenguas extrajeras que tiene usted más razón que una santa, que había que plantarle cara al Consejo de Europa: a los españoles no se nos dicta cómo se enseñan los idiomas extranjeros ¿Qué coño es eso de que los grupos deben ser reducidos para potenciar la práctica oral? Aquí a 30 niños que es como hemos estudiado todos hace 40 años y no veas cómo pilotamos en esto de los idiomas.

Como trabajo en un pueblo, los padres me preguntan si vamos a tener agrupamientos flexibles en lengua y matemáticas para los alumnos que necesitan una atención más pormenorizada y les he comunicado que evidentemente no, que había que quitar docentes para superar el déficit y que su deber como buen madrileño es dar de comer a los de las academias, que tienen que salir de la crisis. En la escuela pública no se dan clases particulares. Por cierto, el colectivo de academias se suma al agradecimiento porque la recuperación de materias pendientes corre ahora de su cuenta.

Los alumnos de compensatoria, unos 25 niños que están bastante perdidos, me piden que, como les corresponde medio profesor de esa especialidad para atenderlos, si podíamos hacer algo para que les tocase la mitad que tiene aparato fonador, que las piernas no les valen.

El TIC no dice nada porque ya no hay. De todos modos ya no necesitamos ordenadores para entrar en Internet, eso lo vamos a hacer cuando, después de trabajar 4 horas diarias únicamente, volvamos a casa y no tengamos clases que preparar ni exámenes que corregir.

¿QUEDAMOS ENTONCES EN QUE PASO DE 37 HORAS Y MEDIA A 20 Y QUE ME VA A SUBIR EL SUELDO POR EL TRAUMA QUE ESTO ME OCASIONA?

ES USTED MI HEROÍNA SEÑORA AGUIRRE.

TRANSMITA MIS RESPETOS A LAS SEÑORAS FIGAR Y DELIBES, SIN CUYA INESTIMABLE AYUDA, ESTO NO HABRÍA SALIDO ADELANTE.

Por cierto, si admite usted sugerencias de una admiradora: aumente usted el horario a los presentadores de los telenoticias de TELEMADRID que está muy feo que trabajen 5 horas semanales y cobren lo que cobran.

UN SALUDO DE UNA DOCENTE AGRADECIDA

ABOUT FORMAL LETTERS

2011-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

hello boys and girls,

"sumer is ikumen in" as the 13th century, Middle English song goes ("summer has come").

Your exams are well past, some of you are already on holiday, others working...but wherever you are, don't forget to keep in touch with the English language, especially if you failed your certificate exam in June.

Since there were so many problems with the writing tasks, for both Intermediate Two and Advanced Two levels, I have thought it might be useful to post a link where you can find lots of examples of formal letters (of all sorts, commercial, complaints, etc.).

http://www.bestsampleletters.com/

Remember to stick to the register required by the task, cover all the points (in an equal way) and stick to the topic/points; all the vocabulary and grammar learnt this year are welcome, but do not force structures into the letter ; above all, your text must be easy to read and understand.

have a good summer,

M.S.

INTERMEDIATE 2 REPORTED SPEECH BASICS

2011-04-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hello boys and girls, welcome back to class! Hope you enjoyed your Easter holidays .

Here's your "homework" for next week (you should check the grammar and online quiz links by May 2nd). The grammar topic is reported speech

Have a good time

the teacher

http://esl.about.com/od/grammarintermediate/a/reported_speech.htm

INTERMEDIATE 2, MODAL VERBS

2011-03-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

hello boys and girls, cheeky monkeys, frogs, owls and lions of our private class zoo ;-)
here's a good link to a page with lots of grammar tips and exercises.If you have a look at the icons you'll see there are grammar explanations, online quizzes, pdf files and even videos.
so..there you go :-)

http://www.autoenglish.org/modalverbs.htm

INTERMEDIATE 2 , RELATIVE CLAUSES

2011-03-07T02:58:00.000-08:00

Hi boys and girls, here's our next topic: relative clauses. You need to do as many exercises as possible, so here are some good quizzes :-)

http://esl.about.com/od/printablequizzes/a/p_relative1.htm

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/51.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/234.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/509.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/373.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/348.html

INTERMEDIATE 2 CONTRAST AND PURPOSE

2011-03-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, here are a couple of links to revise/practise contrast and purpose clauses,

http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/2004/u3/contrastclauses.htm http:/

www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/CILL/eap/2004/u2/purposereasonresultclauses.htm

ALL LEVELS

2011-03-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

Hi boys and girls, as promised to my Advanced 2 guys, here is a link with podcasts and exercises

explore and enjoy

http://www.podcastsinenglish.com/index.shtml?gclid=CLyByvD7_6YCFQEOfAodp2VDdg

INTERMEDIO 2 GRAMMAR: FUTURE TIME CLAUSES

2011-02-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

hey boys and girls,

here's a link for you to explore this week's grammar topic and do a couple of tests

http://www.e-grammar.org/time-clauses/

INTERMEDIATE 2 WRITING SAMPLE

2011-02-15T01:15:00.000-08:00

hi guys, upon request of one of your classmates, I am uploading here the sample we examined in class (I am referring to the transparency concerning task 1 of your latest February mock exam :-)).

In brackets you will find some alternative phrases

INTERMEDIATE 2 EXAM SAMPLE FOR TASK 1

TASK 1: Enquiring about a bookshop offer (formal email/letter, approx. 190 words)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing about your advertisement on the web and would like to receive more information regarding the books available, more specifically what genres and titles you have currently in stock.

Since I am interested in practising pronunciation as I read, I would like to know about the nationalities of the narrators whose voices have been recorded on the cds.

Besides, I would also be grateful if you could give me more details about the shipping: can the cd Rom be delivered to an address outside the EU? (/I am interested in knowing whether the cd can be delivered….)

As no information about payment has been included in the advertisement, I would like you to inform me (let me know/tell me) what kind of payment methods are accepted by your company . If it is fine with you (if you have no objection), I’d rather use my PayPal account in order to avoid credit card fraud.

Finally, I would appreciate (it)if you could send me a complete catalogue of the CD ROM books which are currently available, either in PDF format or by ordinary mail (my address is enclosed below).

I look forward to hearing from you (thank you in advance for your assistance/I would be grateful to receive any information available as soon as possible)

Yours Faithfully…..

ADVANCED 2: I WISH.....

2011-02-14T01:22:00.000-08:00

hi guys explore these two links about our next grammar topic: "I wish" and its different meanings depending on the tense by which it is followed. First you have some grammar explanation, then a link to an online quiz.Enjoy :-)

http://www.eslbase.com/grammar/wish

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/englishfile/intplus/a_grammar/file04/nef_int_grammar_4_02/

MODAL VERBS EXERCISES ONLINE

2011-01-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

this post is meant for Advanced 2 but can be used by Intermediate Students as well

Below are some links to practise modal verbs of all kinds...

http://english-language.webpark.pl/modal_verbs.html

http://www.advanced-english-grammar.com/modal-verb-exercises.html

http://www.nonstopenglish.com/exercise.asp?exid=917

Advanced 2: Reporting verbs (and subjunctive)

2011-01-23T05:16:00.001-08:00

Boys and girls,

here's an interesting link for you to check the use of certain reporting verbs (whose structure was a bit confusing in our textbook).

I hope you find it useful

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv105.shtml

Learning English - How to complain

2011-01-17T05:12:00.000-08:00

INTERMEDIATE 2 PASSIVE STRUCTURE

2011-01-08T05:00:00.001-08:00

hi boys and girls,

here are a few links for you to revise/practise passive structures in English while we do unit 3 in the book :-)

Links are also useful for Advanced 2 (check the last one for plenty of grammar topics)

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-8966.php

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/passiv.htm

http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/

XMAS HOLIDAYS

2011-01-07T03:41:00.000-08:00

hello everybody, here are some pics I took during my Xmas holidays in two different countries (can you guess them?;-). Here's a challenge for you: choose one picture and post a description of it ( here). Both Intermediate 2 and Advanced 2 students who are willing to give it a try, remember that the description must be as accurate and rich in details as possible ;-)

Hope you all had a good time

See you in class soon :-)

ALL LEVELS: AUDIO STORIES

2010-12-18T05:22:00.000-08:00

This link will prove useful to those of you who need to improve pronunciation.

Here you will find some classic tales read by a native speaker.

Since it also provides the texts ,the tales could be used in order to better your pronunciation.

You can try to read out loud some lines or a paragraph and then check your pronunciation with that of the narrator and try to imitate it.

Alternatively, you can just listen to the stories and enjoy them :-)

http://www.talesfromtheforest.co.uk/stories.html

INTERMEDIO 2 GRAMMAR: PAST TENSES

2010-12-18T05:01:00.000-08:00

hi guys,

if you feel you need to further study the past perfect and past perfect continuous, here are some links with explanation and grammar:

http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/grammar/past-perfect-tense.htm

http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/grammar/past-perfect-progressive-tense.htm

and here is a quiz on past tenses :

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_pastforms.htm

AVANZADO 2 GRAMMAR

2010-12-18T04:54:00.000-08:00

hi boys and girls,

check this link for interesting vocabulary (collocations, confusing words etc.)

http://www.perfectyourenglish.com/vocabulary/vocabulary.htm

and here is an Advanced grammar quiz test, if you feel up to testing your knowledge ;-)

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bl_advancedreview.htm

see you in class :-9

AVANZADO 2 GAPPED TEXT

2010-12-15T04:03:00.000-08:00

hi guys, here's a small exercise for you (courtesy of my colleague Martín).

Read this text excerpted from an entry in the blog of a Scotsman currently visiting Barcelona. Try to complete it without looking at the full text below.

Monday, 13 December 2010

Ricky Gervais, and Fish Sauce

On day 2 I was left to fend for myself in a city where I wasn’t sure which language I was supposed to speak, and spoke neither of them anyway. With my eternal shame of being a tourist, and especially an English-speaking one, this was a problem. I decided the best course of action would be to pass the day on activities involving the bare minimum human-to-human interaction. The morning would be spent in the Museum of History of Barcelona and the afternoon in the Picasso museum.

The main attraction of the MUHBA was its basement. The buildings …………….. the MUHBA were built …………. the remains of the Roman city of Barcino, ………… date from the 1st century BC to the 7th AD. The ………… sections of the museum I rather skipped through, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ruins. They are ………. more extensive than I expected, …………….. not only houses and shops, but a church, bishop’s palace, laundry, baths, wine production facility and fish sauce factory. The level of industrialisation is impressive and the remains are …………… preserved – much more than just walls and doorways – …………….. meant I could actually believe it when I ………… told what each building was used ……………... This was added to by the use of coloured lighting – blue in the baths and laundry, red in the fish sauce plant – although they could have made ………………… of this. The audio guide also explained the techniques of archaeology.

KEYS:

The main attraction of the MUHBA was its basement. The buildings housing the MUHBA were built above the remains of the Roman city of Barcino, which date from the 1st century BC to the 7th AD. The other sections of the museum I rather skipped through, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ruins. They are far more extensive than I expected, containing not only houses and shops, but a church, bishop’s palace, laundry, baths, wine production facility and fish sauce factory. The level of industrialisation is impressive and the remains are well preserved – much more than just walls and doorways – which meant I could actually believe it when I was told what each building was used for. This was added to by the use of coloured lighting – blue in the baths and laundry, red in the fish sauce plant – although they could have made more of this. The audio guide also explained the techniques of archaeology.

Now, you may want to check out the actual blog for a Scotsman’s fresh look at the Picasso Museum and Spanish TV.

AVANZADO 2 -FRONTING

2010-12-09T04:23:00.001-08:00

hi boys and girls, here's a link to an English learning page (which is actually Italian, lol :-)

with online exercises on "fronting" . It's worth exploring the main page where you will find exercises classified according to grammar topics.

Enjoy it!

http://www.imparareinglese.co.uk/esercizi_inglese/fronting.html

AVANZADO 2, 'Confessions Of A Shopaholic'

2010-11-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hi boys and girls,

here's a short interview with Isla Fisher, lead actress of the film Confessions of a Shophaholic.

Watch it and mark the following sentences as True /False. We will check the answers in class...

AAAccording to the actress the protagonist directs her energy to the inside
2) The actress enjoyed doing the character
3) The actress hates shopping
4) She says she often has second thoughts about what she bought
5) She never buys when she feels pressed by shop assistants
6) Doing the film made the actress change her dressing habits
7) According to the actress today’s fashion is much about matching clothes and colours
9) The actress’ daughter is also a celebrity
10) The actress started working very young in soap operas
11) Playing the character was her dream ever since she read the books

INTERMEDIO 2 LISTENING AMERICANS VS SPANIARDS

2010-11-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Intermediate 2 students,

Listen to/watch the speaker talking about Spaniards and Americans and answer the questions writing TRUE or FALSE

Answers will be checked in class as usual

1) The speaker has lived in Spain for 27 years

2) He doesn’t understand Spanish people

3) His Woody Allen’s quote is: “The older I get, the more I understand”

4) According to his survey, Spanish people are as patriotic as American people

5) American people dress more stylishly

6) American people are more secretive about business matters

7) Americans take pride in their properties

8) According to Spaniards, a Spanish person who shows off too much is probably running into debts

9) According to the speaker Social Security is much better in the USA

10) According to the speaker Americans are less family-oriented

11) Americans don’t mind moving out of their country

12) Spaniards kick their children out of home when they are 35

13) Young Spaniards with their own home still want to be with their parents

14) Spaniards have a stronger feeling of community than Americans

15) Spain is being influenced by the USA when it comes to commuting

16) Americans don’t like passing judgment on other people

17) The way Americans see people is black/white

AVANZADO 2 GERUND VS INFINITIVE

2010-11-16T04:25:00.001-08:00

Hello boys and girls from A2.

Here are some links to practise with gerund vs infinitive exercises online

if you don't have much time, try this short 10-item exercise

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/gerund_infinitive.htm

or else, try this page with loads of exercises/quizzes on this grammar topic (answers provided)

http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/grammar/grammar-verb-ing_and_verb-infinitive.asp

INTERMEDIOS 2 AT THE DOCTOR'S. VIDEO/LISTENING

2010-11-08T05:15:00.000-08:00

Watch this clip and fill in the gaps with the missing word/s (write them down to correct them in class)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jmvn84Vz8E

QUESTIONS

1)Before any medical appointment_____________________________

2)If your seeing a new health provider make sure ___________________________________

3)If it’s a visit to a specialist the patient __________________________________________

4) When you visit a medical professional it’s better to keep it __________________________

5) Have your parent write down_______________________________________________

6) If you or your parent think that extra time might be needed, be sure you________________________so the doctor’s office can make note of that.

7) If you are going through most of the visits with your parent, you may need your parent fill out a medical information release form, giving you ___________________________________

Once at the appointment there are a few tips to follow

1)First they should ask to sit __________________________with their provider

2) They should take notes and frequently _____________________what they have heard.

3) It can also be beneficial to the doctor,because he or she wants to make sure that what they are saying ______________________________

4) Mum and dad should also ask for any follow-up instructions __________________ so that the information will be already available when needed.

5) In the unfortunate event you or your parent is dissatisfied with the health care they are receiving, it is vital that they________________________

6) your parent might be referred to another ______________________if the situation cannot be resolved

7) It is important to never fear taking your case to _________________________because both your parent’s health and that of others may be at stake.

AVANZADO 2, FATHER AT 13

2010-10-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Fluffee gives his opinions about a boy who became a father at the age of 13. Watch the youtube video and answer the following questions:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pirfXGx8oLc&NR=1

1) Who is the actual father?

2)What does Fluffee think about the 15 year girl who got pregnant?

3)What did the 13 year boy say when he discovered he was not the only candidate for paternity?

4)According to Fluffee, whose fault is it if the boy did what he did?

5) Who else it to blame for teenagers’ sex conduct according to Fluffee? Why?

6) What problem might the boy encounter when raising the baby?

7) How would Fluffee react if he learnt he had made a girl pregnant?

8) Do you agree with any of Fluffee’s opinions? Be prepared to discuss this in class

AND THE WINNER IS........

2010-10-27T01:45:00.000-07:00

REST IN PEACE MATILDA,with 7 votes!!!

Congratulations Pilar, and thanks to all of you who wrote a story or voted for one :-)

INTERMEDIOS 2 SPEED DATING

2010-10-25T04:26:00.001-07:00

hi guys,

here's a short video for you about speed dating, the book topic we are dealing with this week.

Watch it and answer the following questions:

What questions does the boy ask? (there are 5)

What final question does the girl ask?

Did you get any of the answers?

We will check this exercise in class :-)

there goes the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y584fdQldoI

VOTE FOR THE BEST HALLOWEEN STORY

2010-10-24T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hello boys and girls from intermediate 2 and advanced 2 :-))). Thanks for participating in the contest and posting your stories. Now is time for everybody to read them and vote for their favourite one. You can do it (students, ex students and friends) leaving a comment on this post. Just write the title of your favourite story or the name of the author (in case there is no title). The deadline for voting is 26th October. so there are two days left.....enjoy the reading :-)!!!!!!!!!!!!

HALLOWEEN MINISTORY CONTEST

2010-10-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my students. As you know Halloween is approaching and as last year, there is going to be a writing contest. This time instead of writing on paper you will use this blog to post your mini-stories. If you are a new student of mine, you only need to click on the Halloween ministory contest post, register (in order to sign your posts with a username and password) and post your ministory (through the comments window).

REQUIREMENTS TO ENTER THE MINISTORY CONTEST

-The story must have a title

- it has to revolve around the Halloween topic

- it cannot be longer than 100 words

- it must be written by one of my students attending intermediate 2 or advanced 2 classes this year

- the deadline for posting your ministory: 23rdOctober

HOW TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE STORY:

-You can vote from 24th to 26th October, leaving a post with the title of your favourite story.

-Anyone registered on this blog can vote, even students who have posted a story and ex-students of mine.

PRIZE

The student whose story gets the most votes by October the 26th will be awarded a little gift (English learning material)

GIVE IT A TRY! :-)

AVANZADO 2, SOUTH AFRICA

2010-10-15T02:26:00.000-07:00

Hi boys and girls, here's a link (courtesy of my colleague Martín) to a video on South Africa, and some questions about it, which we will discuss in class after you have watched the video.Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5jJSjpztmA&feature=channel

A video on South Africa

Watch the video Poor Whites / Rich Blacks, get acquainted with SA English, plus some Afrikaans, and answer some questions about the social situation in present-day South Africa:

According to Phindi, what's the difference between "then" and "now"?

According to one of the Groblers, in the old times, when whites left school...

The scrapyard only hires....... Why?

What did the old system teach blacks to become?

According to Phindi, what do whites need to realize?

What reasons (both serious and joking) do Phindi and and Tshepo give about Jacob Zuma being president?

Do you have a view on what you have just watched?

GOOD LUCK BOYS AND GIRLS

2010-05-23T00:49:00.000-07:00

just a quick post to wish my intermediate two and advanced one students a happy course ending and lots of luck for your exams, be they certificate or not.

I hope you enjoyed this course guys :-)

see you around the school

;-)

ADVANCED 1 REPORTING VERBS MINITEST

2010-04-21T04:28:00.001-07:00

hi boys and girls from Avanzados 1.

Here's a little test for you :-)

http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/headway/advanced/a_grammar/unit09/hwy_adv_unit09_1/

MEDICAL ENGLISH, INTERMED.& AVANZADO

2010-03-09T02:50:00.000-08:00

hello boys and girls, yes, I am still alive, only too busy lately :-)

Here's a very good link to a Canadian site (French/English) where you can find lots of activities related to health and medicine, our latest topic for Intermediate II Enjoy :-)

HEALTH

EXPRESSING CONTRAST (INTERM. AVANZ.)

2010-03-02T03:41:00.000-08:00

hi guys, long time no see....I have been quite busy lately

Here is a link you may find useful in order to revise contrast linkers and other stuff that appears on the same page..

http://esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/a/f_contrast.htm

Enjoy

Seeya in class

Monica :-)

CLOZE INTERMEDIATE 2

2009-12-14T03:58:00.000-08:00

Hi boys and girls, here's a link where you can practice a bit on a text on Las Vegas. :-)

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/uscities/lasvegas.html

INTERMEDIATE 2

2009-11-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Hi boys and girls, we are soon going to deal with bedrooms (Unit 3 in your book) and I thought it would be interesting for you to take this test on your sleeping habits. It's a BBC thing. Enjoy...(guys from Avanzado 1..you are welcome to do it as well;-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/profiler/

ALL HALLOWS'EVE

2009-10-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

hello guys, this year I am not bringing any Halloween info to class (I think you've had enough spooks and ghosts and Jack o' Lanterns in your past years at the EOI ;-). My Advanced 1 students are going to enter a Halloween short- story contest (their stories will be taped to the walls of the classroom next week, if you Intermediate 2 guys are interested in reading them) and that's all. But for those of you who miss doing or learning something about Shamain (for this is the Celtic name by which it is known), why not try this online quiz .....:-)

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/halloween.html

WEBSITE TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH

2009-10-27T00:51:00.001-07:00

Hi boys and girls here's a link provided by my student Antonio (thanks Antonio ;-)

http://www.poliglota.com/index.php?Lang=ES&argRedirect=ES|BOLETIN_28

USEFUL LINKS INTERMEDIATE 2

2009-10-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

hi boys and girls, have a look at the links I posted last April (go to blog archives and open April) . If you follow them you will be able to practise listening comprehension, cloze tests etc...(remember that in order to get ready for the certificate at the end of this course coming to class twice a week is not enough ;-).
seeya in class

Victor Borge - Dean Martin - Punctuation marks (see info for HQ Stereo)

2009-10-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

Hi boys and girls, here's something on phonetic punctuation ;-) just to start our course merrily....

BACK TO THE BLOG!

2009-09-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

hi girls, boys, cheeky monkeys! How was your summer? I have been busy with exams ever since 1st September (as you know) and today I decided it was high time I posted something on the blog. Here are some pics I took in Edinburgh in August, while doing a course for teachers. You can see the Grassmarket area (the coloured houses), The Castle, Buildings along the Royal Mile (the pic taken against the light) ,The Old City (from a bridge that joins it to the new city)..and your teacher getting her certificate at the university ;-).Well, I will be off again for a few days , this time further North :-). I will post pics from that place too as soon as I am back ...see some of you next week and the rest in October.....take care!

MORE PICS FROM THE SUMMER COURSE

2009-07-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

CURSO MAESTROS 2009

2009-07-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

HELLO everybody, teachers, students, cheeky monkeys......here are the pics as I promised. If you are interested in one or more, just click on them to make them bigger and then save them on your pc (right click and save)...Enjoy your summer!!!!!

ABOUT MONKEYS

2009-06-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

hello guys, did you know that there is more to a monkey than a "cheeky monkey"? Well, I have a new task for you (film reviews in the post below are still welcome, though :-))
Here's a list of expressions containing the word "monkey". Choose one (only one, to give other people the chance to do their own research) and explain its meaning:

1- to monkey around
2-monkey business
3-to have a monkey on one's back
4- monkey wrench

WRITE A FILM REVIEW

2009-06-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello boys and girls, a new post for you (both those who are through with the course and those who are still having exams).
I thought it would be interesting if you wrote a short review of a recent film (perhaps new releases) that you have seen (and discuss it with other mates who have also seen it)....here's an outline of how your review should be written:
1) brief summary (2 lines)
2) state your opinion of the movie (strengths and weaknesses)
3)What characters did you most identify with?(why?)
4) So, do you recommend it or not?

well then...who's going to kick off..? ;-)

THIRD CONDITIONAL CHALLENGE INTERMEDIATE TWO

2009-05-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

Hello babies,
how about practising your third conditional skills before the exam? I will give you a situation (the consequence of something) and you will have to guess what happened, using a third conditional sentence, (if........., x....wouldn't have...) ok? Only one. the funnier, the better:

"the table was upside down when I came back home"

Link for intermediate levels

2009-05-04T03:50:00.001-07:00

Hello my cheeky monkeys...here's another link I was told about by my colleague Laura, it's about London, going through all the situations you might encounter as a tourist there....it's got listening, conversation practice, grammar, phonetics....overall interesting. It's on the BBC page learning English, but here's a direct link to the activities...enjoy :-)

www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/london/unit1/listen1.shtml

CLOZE TESTS

2009-04-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

HEY guys...the course is coming to an end, especially for intermediate 1 students, who will take their exams next Monday. Well, here is another link for cloze tests, sent by my student Lucia. Thanks Lucia

www.edict.com.hk/vlc/cloze/cloze.htm

MORE LISTENING EXERCISES ALL LEVELS

2009-04-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

EASTER LISTENING PRACTICE (;-))

Hi guys, I have found another link to listening quizzes online. Check your level :-) (intermediate for intermediate 1, upper intermediate for intermediate 2, elementary/beginners for That's English ;-)..The second link is for intermediate to advanced levels...you can download podcasts of real conversations about a variety of topics...tell me what you think....

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bllisteningquiz.htm

http://www.betteratenglish.com/

CLOZE TESTS

2009-03-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello cheeky monkeys! (;-P) here's a link where you can find cloze tests of all levels. They are of the "multiple choice" kind but I think they may be useful to practise and learn vocabulary anyway...and I am adding a link sent by Isabel, too, thanks Isabel ;-)

CLOZE TESTS ONLINE

USA.LEARN

Listen to the European Framework levels

2009-03-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hello boys and girls, long time no see! I am still quite busy with exams, courses and you name it, but popped in today to give you an interesting link.
It's a project made by the EOI Málaga to have an idea about what a student speaking a foreign language would sound like, according to the different levels of the European framework.
You have examples of different languages and 4 different levels (from A1 to B2, according to the European framework...not to the EOI, don't get confused..).
Hope it's useful .....have a nice long weekend
Monica

listen to the european framework levels

INTERMEDIATE MODAL VERBS

2009-02-17T04:07:00.001-08:00

HI boys and girls from intermediate 1 and 2. Here's a link to the grammar aquarium, where, among other grammar topics, you will find some exercises to practise modal verbs of various kinds..enjoy

grammar aquarium

HOME SWEET HOME: INTERMEDIO 1

2009-02-11T02:51:00.000-08:00

hi guys from Intermedio 1. I am marking your exam compositions, which will take some days for you know I am also coordinating That's English exams and teaching Int. 2 classes etc. Well, in the meantime I will keep up my tradition of posting on the blog an example of "ideal" exam composition which would be according to your level and knowledge:

Describe your present home including:

Brief description (location, services,etc.), if it is rented, bought, advantages, disadvantages, what you would like to improve

I live in a large four-bedroomed flat in a green and quiet area of Alcalá. It’s got a good sized balcony where I keep plants, a table and a closet where books are stored.

The windows are double-glazed and the kitchen is quite spacious though not very bright. Facilities in the neighbourhood include a shopping centre, schools and kindergartens. There are two bus lines linking this area to the centre. Nevertheless, the service isn’t good since buses don’t run very often and it takes ages to reach parts of the city which aren’t very far away.

Besides, the medical centre that used to be in this area was closed last year and people have to go to another area of the city if they want to be seen by a specialist.

The flat is rented, but I would prefer to own a terraced house. Because of the high prices and mortgages, I haven’t been able to buy one yet.

If I owned this flat I’d refurbish it completely. I’d change the floors and fit new bathrooms and a kitchen. The heaters should also be replaced as they don’t work properly

Comments: As you can see it's got 190 words (only 10 above max. required), it covers all the points, it has a variety of tenses you did last year or we have revised in class (passive, used to, present perfect, modal verbs, conditional), a variety of linking words (since, as, because of, although, besides,because of, nevertheless), new vocabulary from the last unit and class handouts (four-bedroomed, good-sized, double glazed, fit, spacious,facilities, closet, refurbish..) and there is a correct use of articles, third person singular, tenses, adjectives and adverbs.

PRONUNCIATION

2009-02-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

hi guys, here's a link to another blog with tips for pronunciation, speaking etc....have a look...

http://englishtrainer.blogspot.com/

BBC learning english vegetables

2009-02-02T03:27:00.001-08:00

Hey boys and girls, here's a funny bbc video to learn some idioms..you cand find plenty of them on youtube or the BBC Learning English site...I hope this encourages you to explore the BBC pages on your own :-))

THATS ENGLISH BASICO 1

2009-01-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

Hello boys and girls, how are you? Here is a task for you:
What questions would you ask to :

1) Know the timetable for a train to Manchester
2) Know where to leave your luggage in the station while you have a coffee
3) Get a ticket on a train where you can sleep while you travel
4) Get a ticket to go to London (coming back the same day)
5) Ask about trains to Edinburgh in the morning

Try not to use the book and to just remember the structures and vocabulary

INTERMEDIO 1 MODAL VERBS

2009-01-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, after Doc asked me about the different use of "could", "managed to" etc, I decided to post this link to BBC learning English for those of you who are interested in getting further information about this topic ;-)

USE OF COULD/MANAGED TO ETC.

THAT'S ENGLISH NB1A

2008-12-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hello my boys and girls from NB1A...., I wish you a Merry Christmas and have some good news for you...All those of you who did their exam with me yesterday at 16.30, ..did it well! Congratulations!
Results will be available on Thursday 8th at the school
HAPPY 2009!

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT XMAS CELEBRATIONS

2008-12-19T03:27:00.000-08:00

hi boys and girls, here are a few pictures taken yesterday at the English department Xmas party. We had a cake, haiku and bookmark contest (in these pics most of the cakes had not arrived yet....ehehe) and a couple of shows starring this Australian bloke (whose real name I can't remember ha ha ha) which made us split our sides laughing....my ribs ached from laughing so much..we really had a good time! Well guys...HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY! I will be in Italy for a few days and will have a look at the blog if I can (Valerio might let me use his computer perhaps :-)))).

FREE AUDIOBOOKS

2008-12-09T00:29:00.000-08:00

hello boys and girls, I hope you had a nice long weekend and are ready to come back to the school ;-) . Here is a link for you to read and listen at the same time..you can download at least 2 free audiobooks and there are some more interesting links to explore on the same page, enjoy!

Audiobooks

THAT'S ENGLISH /BASICO 1

2008-11-28T03:34:00.000-08:00

Hello boys and girls from That's English, look at this map of Leek (click on it to make it bigger) and tell me how to get from the bus station (exit on Haywood Street, that is where you are) to the following places (give me directions):

1) Brough Park Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool
2)All Saints Church
3) The Police station

THANKSGIVING

2008-11-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

hello guys, guess what day is today? ;-) yes, Thanksgiving Day...for you to find out more about this celebration, here's a little webquest. I would like each blogger to answer ONLY ONE question (which hasn't already been answered of course) ...there you go:

1) What's Thankgiving and when is it celebrated (not too many details because there are more questions below ;-)
2) When was the first Thanksgiving celebrated and by whom?
3)Who were the Pilgrims?
4) What kind of food is eaten on this festivity?
5) What is the popular dessert on this day?
6) What do some people do after lunch?

INTERMEDIATE 1 GRAMMAR

2008-11-18T03:40:00.000-08:00

Hello boys and girls from Intermediate 1. Another challenge for you. Can you translate these sentences into English? (after yesterday's exams revision it should be a piece of cake ;-). To read the cartoon (it's funny) just click on the pic and it'll become larger.

1) A pesar de que fuera un día soleado estuvimos viendo películas en casa todo el día.
2) Como el tren llegó tarde al aeropuerto perdimos el avión y nos costó un día más llegar a Londres.

INTERMEDIOS 2: CONTRAST

2008-11-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Hello boys and girls, a challenge for you...how about writing three sentences using these subordinators? Each sentence should also contain a new word you have learnt in class and you would like to remember...:-). I hope this time some of you (who I know are secret readers on this blog, cheeky monkeys!) will write something.... .:-)))

HALLOWEEN MINISTORIES : VOTE HERE!

2008-10-31T05:52:00.000-07:00

hello boys and girls, it's time you gave your vote to one of the stories. You can do it here, just write a comment indicating the nick of the contestant whose story you liked best. I am not going to vote myself...unless there is a draw ;-). The deadline for voting is Sunday at lunchtime. Good luck!

SAMHAIN. MINISTORIES CONTEST. READ THE STORIES OF OUR BLOGGERS HERE

2008-10-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

or ALL HALLOWS' EVE, or in other words, HALLOWEEN. One more year, boys and girls, this Celtic celebration will have children (and adults) roam the streets at sundown on October 31, dressed in all sorts of disguises, trick or treating, playing practical jokes and watching spooky films. Here's a link to learn more about this celebration.
I would also like to make the most out of this festivity and hold a bigbottle contest: HALLOWEEN MINISTORIES. You are welcome to write a short spooky Halloween story (around 50 words,it must be easy to read in a comment to this post). You can post them here up to Thursday 30th October. On Friday 31st all the bloggers who have read the ministories should give their vote to one of them (I will open a new post just for voting and leaving comments). Use as many spooks, creepy crawlies, bats, black cats etc. as you like. :-)

ALL LEVELS SELF LEARNING

2008-10-15T00:56:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, I posted this link in a comment , answering to Miky, but then realised that you might miss it and decided to post it here for everyone to see it. The vice-headmaster forwarded it to me..thanks vice-headmaster... :-)

IMPORTANT !

2008-10-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Boys and girls, the course has started and already someone is posting unwanted comments on this blog. Whenever you see comments that provide links and that are not signed by me, ignore them. Don't click on them, don't even answer these people, sometimes they are trolls and all they want is to upset you people and get you to answer. Big mistake (plus, you are not doing me a favour because I am the one who has to delete all the messages)! It already happened last year and the best thing to do is please, AGAIN, ignore them!!!!
Thanks a lot and have a good start..
Monica

English-Spanish conversation exchange

2008-09-30T01:13:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, my colleague Olga has just sent me this useful piece of information for those of you who are interested in practising English with US American students. No excuses now......;-)

Contact:
Carlos Herrero,
Colegio de Trinitarios
Calle Trinidad, 1
28801 Alcalá de Henares (Madrid)
SPAIN

Telf: (0034) 91 885 52 52
Fax: (0034) 91 885 52 48

FORTHCOMING COURSE

2008-09-25T04:13:00.000-07:00

Hello again everybody! Sorry to be back so late, but these days, as you can imagine, have been hectic for us teachers since we must organise the impeding course.
Perhaps I will be seeing some of my cheeky monkeys again, and even some of my ancient "big bottles" perhaps, ..well boys and girls, prepare the usual ham (you know for Xmas and before exams ha ha ha) :-).....and smarten up ! byeeeeeeeeeeee

Back from Holidays!

2008-08-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I am back from Italy and Scotland. Holidays have been short but intense. This is just a short welcome post with a few pics of Scotland, for I can't write much at the moment. My right hand was operated on 3 days ago and I can't move it much due to the stitches. Guess who operated on it? Our friend and blogger The Doctor ;-). I got VIP treatment and was made to doze off during the operation, so that I didn't realise anything at all! Thanks Doc, as you see, I am typing to exercise my swollen fingers ;-).
In the pics top to bottom and left to right: Typical menu along the Royal Mile, view of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat, Arthur's Seat, stop at a Whisky centre on our way back from the Highlands, Loch Ness, view of Edinburgh from the Castle, The Three Sisters (Glencoe). More pics on my usual Flickr page ;-)
seeya soon! Monica

PRONUNCIATION

2008-06-28T01:57:00.000-07:00

hello guys, most of you must be already on holiday, yet I would like to post a useful link that I have found for pronunciation on the BBC Learning English site .
It's a page with some quizzes and the chance to listen to correct pronunciation (and imitate it, which, as you know, is the key to successful pronunciation). I hope you like it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/quiz/quiz1/index.shtml

READING (all levels)

2008-05-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

hello boys and girls, browsing the BBC I came across (nice phrasal verb, this ;-) these pieces of news . Read them and tell me what you think (cuartos, this is a good chance to practise crime and punishment vocabulary)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7397426.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7397867.stm

INVERSION

2008-05-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, here's a good link to study a few examples of inversion in English. These structures are not very common and are used mainly for emphasis.

http://esl.about.com/od/advancedgrammar/a/inversion.htm

IMPROVING YOUR SPEAKING

2008-04-16T04:35:00.000-07:00

Guys, here is a link (BBC again) with podcasts you can listen to in order to get advice on how to improve your speaking...very interesting...(and good listening practice too..)
;.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/webcast/

CUARTOS: MORE GRAMMAR LINKS: REPORTING VERBS

2008-04-16T03:28:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, your homework for next Friday is related to reported speech. In case we have no time in class to revise everything...here are some links for you to study reporting verbs that often cause confusion (suggest, recommend, demand, deny etc.). The link to BBC learning English is really good! I will never insist too much on that.....you can find quizzes, exercises, explanations, pronunciation, videos.....you won't need your teacher any longer! ;-), the other one is also good for quizzes and exercises...enjoy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv201.shtml

http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blgr_reportingverbs.htm

QUIZ LINK FOR CUARTOS

2008-04-09T02:58:00.000-07:00

hello boys and girls, here is a link to three quizzes (about.com page) , for you to practise prepositional phrases. Don't miss it, for you know that's a grammar area you need to improve ;-)

http://esl.about.com/labels.htm?terms=prepositional%20phrases&SUName=esl&TopNode=3227&type=1

USEFUL LINKS

2008-03-06T00:18:00.000-08:00

hi guys, Fernando sent me a couple of links related to writing skills...have a look, they might interest you :-)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/index.html

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_essay.html

WARNING

2008-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

Hello students and friends, as Zenitram says in one of his comments, be careful with links posted by unknown people. I have been deleting a few posts these days (with links to porn sites). They are posted by people using different nicknames, so , it is sometimes difficult to know whether it is a new student logging in or not. I suggest ignoring all links posted on the blog, except the ones posted by me, usually related to English learning sites. If any of you have interesting links to recommend, send them to me by email first, and I will post them on your behalf.
I will not let the blog be affected by these parasytes....:-)

LISTENING PRACTICE

2008-02-07T00:34:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, here is another link you might find useful to practise listening comprehension (besides the ones in my favourite links, the ELLLO site some of you have already visited and the BBC learning English)

http://examenglish.com

you will find all skills and levels here

remember that you are not going to improve if you only practise in class once or twice a week ;-)...

GOOD LINK

2007-09-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hi boys and girls, here's a good link with interactive quizzes to practise all sorts of things for various levels... tell me if it works....

http://a4esl.org/q/j/

USEFUL LINKS FOR LISTENING

2007-08-20T01:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,
I have found some links with podcasts for English students (various levels). The first one is for very basic listening, the second one is the general directory of TESOL/TEFL/ESL links and here you can find all sorts of podcasts for all levels. I hope this helps....

http://www.eltpodcast.com/archive/bc

http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts/

the Doctor's holidays

2007-08-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, The Doctor has kindly given me permission to post some of the pictures he took in Scotland 2 weeks ago. They are really great, aren't they? ( I simply love Scotland above all places...sigh!) If any of you would like to have their pics posted, don't hesitate to contact me. You can send them to me and I will post them on the blog for your mates to see them....enjoy...

MANY LINKS AT FEEL THE POWER

2007-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

hi again everybody!
I suggest your having a look at Feelthepower , my colleague's Gema's blog (see my favourite links on the left) . She has posted many interesting links for primeros and terceros . For advanced listening, don't miss the link to Chris Reardon's page (in my favourite links, too). You can download his podcast chat shows and listen to one-hour doses of light and funny chat in a British accent. He is a bit crazy but it's great! A very good way to learn everyday English expressions and have fun. I am also hooked on it ever since Gema gave me the link.
Enjoy

TERCEROS -ED ENDINGS PRONUNCIATION

2007-02-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hello TERCEROS. Here are a couple of links to revise the rules for the pronunciation of -ed endings (regular past simple and participle verbs). The "eslus" link provides audio files with the right pronunciation.You can guess it and listen to the voice afterwards.

www.eslus.com/LESSONS/PRONUNCI/EDENDING/ED.HTM

WWW.englishclub.com/pronunciation/-ed.htm

Enjoy :-)

big bottle

AVANZADO 1

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

ADVANCED LEVEL

AND THE WINNER IS......

VOTE YOUR FAVOURITE HALLOWEEN STORY

HALLOWEEN MINI STORY CONTEST

USEFUL LINKS-ALL LEVELS

on responsibility

It's not the two hours' increase as they want people to believe: letter to the media by an EOI colleague.

How are EOIs affected by the new instructions?

PROTEST IN MADRID 14TH SEPT. VIDEO

Good luck Intermedio 2

More about public education and our predicament...

for public education.....

ABOUT FORMAL LETTERS

INTERMEDIATE 2 REPORTED SPEECH BASICS

INTERMEDIATE 2, MODAL VERBS

INTERMEDIATE 2 , RELATIVE CLAUSES

INTERMEDIATE 2 CONTRAST AND PURPOSE

ALL LEVELS

INTERMEDIO 2 GRAMMAR: FUTURE TIME CLAUSES

INTERMEDIATE 2 WRITING SAMPLE

ADVANCED 2: I WISH.....

MODAL VERBS EXERCISES ONLINE

Advanced 2: Reporting verbs (and subjunctive)

Learning English - How to complain

INTERMEDIATE 2 PASSIVE STRUCTURE

XMAS HOLIDAYS

ALL LEVELS: AUDIO STORIES

INTERMEDIO 2 GRAMMAR: PAST TENSES

AVANZADO 2 GRAMMAR

AVANZADO 2 GAPPED TEXT

AVANZADO 2 -FRONTING

AVANZADO 2, 'Confessions Of A Shopaholic'

INTERMEDIO 2 LISTENING AMERICANS VS SPANIARDS

AVANZADO 2 GERUND VS INFINITIVE

INTERMEDIOS 2 AT THE DOCTOR'S. VIDEO/LISTENING

AVANZADO 2, FATHER AT 13

AND THE WINNER IS........

INTERMEDIOS 2 SPEED DATING

VOTE FOR THE BEST HALLOWEEN STORY

HALLOWEEN MINISTORY CONTEST

AVANZADO 2, SOUTH AFRICA

GOOD LUCK BOYS AND GIRLS

ADVANCED 1 REPORTING VERBS MINITEST

MEDICAL ENGLISH, INTERMED.& AVANZADO

EXPRESSING CONTRAST (INTERM. AVANZ.)

CLOZE INTERMEDIATE 2

INTERMEDIATE 2

ALL HALLOWS'EVE

WEBSITE TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH

USEFUL LINKS INTERMEDIATE 2

Victor Borge - Dean Martin - Punctuation marks (see info for HQ Stereo)

BACK TO THE BLOG!

MORE PICS FROM THE SUMMER COURSE

CURSO MAESTROS 2009

ABOUT MONKEYS

WRITE A FILM REVIEW

THIRD CONDITIONAL CHALLENGE INTERMEDIATE TWO

Link for intermediate levels

CLOZE TESTS

MORE LINKS

MORE LISTENING EXERCISES ALL LEVELS

CLOZE TESTS

Listen to the European Framework levels

INTERMEDIATE MODAL VERBS

HOME SWEET HOME: INTERMEDIO 1

PRONUNCIATION

BBC learning english vegetables

THATS ENGLISH BASICO 1

INTERMEDIO 1 MODAL VERBS

THAT'S ENGLISH NB1A

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT XMAS CELEBRATIONS

FREE AUDIOBOOKS

THAT'S ENGLISH /BASICO 1

THANKSGIVING

INTERMEDIATE 1 GRAMMAR

INTERMEDIOS 2: CONTRAST

HALLOWEEN MINISTORIES : VOTE HERE!