Sunday 26 February 2017

PANCAKE DAY

PANCAKE DAY

Tuesday is Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, a very popular British festival.





In this lesson we are going to learn what Pancake Day is and what it means.

Find out what the traditional English pancake is:
  • Find a recipe for traditional English pancake and make a list of products you need.
  • Find out the order in preparing them .
  • Research recipes for traditional English pancakes in the Internet.
Now watch the videos and answer the questions:

- When is Pancake Day celebrated in the UK and why?

-  How do British spend this day?

- What happens on British streets?









Thursday 17 November 2016

NEVERENDING STORY. GOING TO THE CINEMA!

Today we went to the cinema to watch Neverending Story a film by Michael Ende that is a classic in the history of cinema.

It is  a 1984 West German-produced English language epic fantasy film based on the novel of the same name by Michael Ende.
The film is about a boy who reads a magical book that tells a story of a young warrior whose task is to stop a dark storm called the Nothing from engulfing a fantasy world.






We went to the cinema festival MUCES that is taking place in Segovia from the 16th to the 22nd of Novenber.

Now listen to the lyrics of the soundtrack and learn the new words!



Saturday 5 November 2016

Autumn Festivals




Would you like to learn about different festivals that are celebrated in autumn? Read the following information  from http://www.bigeyedowl.co.uk/Festivals-autumn.htm and complete the table about festivals in your notebooks:

 

Chinese Festival of the Autumn Moon

(15 September 2016) During September or October at full moon, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the festival of the Autumn Moon is celebrated. It is celebrated partly like many autumn festivals as a festival of lights, and before sitting down to a feast, there is a procession where animal shaped lanterns are carried each containing a candle.
Traditional food, including small round shaped rice cakes symbolising the full moon, is eaten during the celebration.  Rice cakes have a long history as they were once used to hide messages in, when the Chinese people were rebelling against their Mongol rulers.

        

Rosh Hashanah

3 October 2016 - first day)
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and starts on the first day of the month of Tishr. It marks  the beginning of a ten day period of repentance leading up to Yom Kippur.
The month leading up to Tishru is Elul, during which Jews prepare for Rosh Hashanah.  On every day in Elul, a ram's horn (the shofar) is blown to call the people to repent and start anew the coming year.


      

Bonfire night ( 5th November)

 Learn all about Bonfire night in Britain by clicking on this link

     
Follow this link to BBC Learning English to learn more about Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night:  https://twitter.com/bbcle/status/794595640093372416

Answer these questions about Guy Fawkes:

Who was Guy Fawkes?
What was the name of the king?
What was the king´s religion?
What did Guy Fawkes try to do?
Where did he plan to put a bomb?
Why did the plan fail?
Where did the soldiers take him?
What happened to Guy Fawkes?

Now try this online quiz by ESOL Courses to see how much you have learnt

Thanksgiving

 
 
(10 October 2016 in Canada; 24 November 2016 in USA)
Thanksgiving or harvest celebrations have been taking place in Europe as far back as the 5th century BCE when the Ancient Greeks would fill a goats horn with fruit and grain to give thanks for the harvest. The tradition was then introduced in North America by the european settlers.
A festival of Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA. They had arrived in 1620 looking to start a new life, where they could be free to follow their religious beliefs.  Their first winter was very hard but they survived with the help of the Native Indians who had shown them how to hunt and what plants they could eat. After the first harvest the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their good fortune and to give thanks for the food that they had grown.
At the feast they ate Turkey, pumpkins, corn, cranberries and sweet potatoes.
Thanksgiving is celebrated by Canadians in October and in America on the last Thursday of the month of  November.
Today, most peoples' Thanksgiving meal is almost the same as that of the Pilgrims, with a turkey and cranberry sauce and a selection of autumn vegetables, followed by Pumpkin or Apple pie.
         

 

Thanksgiving Summary
 
  • Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November each year.
  • It is a holiday which honors the early European settlers and their first harvest feast with the Native Americans which we call The First Thanksgiving
  • The Native Americans had been living in America for over 12,000 years so they knew how to hunt, fish, and grow crops
  • A group of 101 English men, women and children sailed over to the new land and landed at Plymouth Rock where they met the Native Americans around the year 1621
  • The Native Americans taught the English people how to grow and hunt food and they formed an alliance
  • They prepared a big, celebratory feast in honor of the new settlement and new friendships, and it has become an annual tradition ever since.
 



 
Typical Thanksgiving foods include turkey, gravy, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and wine
Thanksgiving day is spent with family relaxing and watching American football and Thanksgiving parades.
 



  • One common Thanksgiving Tradition is breaking the Wishbone. It is a bone in the Turkey´s chest which signifies good luck. Two people hold the Wishbone and pull… whoever ends up with the bigger side when it breaks apart will have good luck for the following year.

     
 
  • Another tradition at the Thanksgiving dinner is for everyone to go around the table and say what they are thankful for
  • You eat until you are stuffed and then sit around with family and talk, play games, or watch a Holiday movie
 
 



Watch this video about the story of the Pilgrims arriving in America:



Follow this link to watch another video from the History channel

Harvest Festival



This is a thanksgiving service for the completion of the Harvest. Christian Churches are usually filled with produce, grain and fruit and there is often a loaf baked in the shape of a sheaf of corn.

Diwali (Divali, Deepavali, Deepawali)

 
(30 October 2016)
Diwali (pronounced 'Divali') is the Hindu "Festival of Lights" and is one of India's most important and popular festivals. It falls at the new moon towards the end of October or early November and lasts for two days. In India Diwali is celebrated in many different ways.
Small lamps or candles are placed in doorways and windows of houses in villages, towns and cities these are to welcome the Hindu god Rama.  Many of the lights used are traditional pottery oil lamps called diye which give off a warm golden light.
In parts of Northern India, young girls place a diya on small rafts leave it to float down a river. If the lamp stays alight until it has floated out of sight, then the owner of the lamp will have good fortune that year.
In some areas the festival is also dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, in the hope that she will visit the peoples homes. Diwali is the beginning of the financial year for business people and it is hoped that she will bring good fortune.
Fireworks are part of the celebrations as their loud bangs are thought to send away any evil spirit.
While most of India is celebrating Diwali, in Bengal the people hold a festival in honour of Kali, the Goddess of strength, disease and death.
During the time of the festival homes are strung with lights and the streets have shrines of different sizes on each side.  Worshippers walk about the streets both throughout the daytime and the evening, offering gifts at the shrines in honour of Kali.  Delicious smelling food is sold by street vendors and as night descends there are very colourful firework displays.
At the end of the festival, the images of Kali are taken down and are paraded through the streets on their way to the river where they are set afloat with a noisy send-off.


Click on this link to learn more about Diwali from ESOL Courses

Thursday 20 October 2016

Halloween time!!

It´s October and Haloween is here again!

But, how much do you know about Halloween?



Follow this link to learn about popular Halloween traditions, Halloween around the world and terrifying tales!!

Answer the questions about each topic in your notebook. We will talk about them in class and learn from each other´s work.

Follow this link to learn more about the history of Halloween

Have a happy Haloween!!!



Learn more words about Halloween from ESOL Courses


Watch this famous video by Michael Jackson to feel even more scared!!

THRILLER!!



Do you believe in ghosts? Then watch this other video by Michael Jackson:

GHOST






        

 

Sunday 16 October 2016

Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in Literature

How much do you know about Bob Dylan?

Follow this link to find out more about him.





Now watch this video of one of his most famous songs and complete the lyrics in your worksheet:


Monday 26 September 2016

Olympic fun!

DID YOU HAVE FUN WATCHING THE OLYMPIC GAMES?


If you enjoyed the games you will also have fun learning  new vocabulary about the games!

Follow this link to test your knowledge

You can also follow this link to ESOL courses to go through the different activities.

Now watch this video from BBC Learning English to improve your listening skills:



Resultado de imagen de RIO 2016

Back to school!

Welcome to the new academic year!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful year and enjoy learning English!





Let´s start with a video : Watch Mr Bean going back to school and have fun!

Tuesday 7 June 2016

If you like learning English you will love this lesson!



I think you will understand this example really well!




 Watch Dan´s 90 seconds review from BBC Learning English for a quick explanation.


Now watch these videos for a more grammatical explanation:



Listen to this dialogue from BBC Learning English to understand IF situations:

How many songs that include the word IF can you find?

A very famous one is "If I were a boy"



  Now listen to this wonderful song to understand the 2nd conditional sentences:




Another great song by Katy Perry : If We Ever Meet Again


Sunday 29 May 2016

Do you know your grammar?

Today we are going to revise some tenses that are difficult to use in English.

Let´s start with a joke:



If you understand the joke, then you understand how to use the present perfect in English!

Watch this video to remember the rules and compare it to the past simple tense:






Now watch this other video for more practice:



Follow this link for more explanations

I am sure you will never forget participles after you listen to the rap in this video!

Now, do you understand the joke bellow?
 I hope so!



How well do you know IRREGULAR VERBS?
Follow this link and practise putting them in groups to understand them better.

To practise further visit BBC Learning English and go through the different sessions.

Tuesday 10 May 2016

HEALTHY EATING

Eating healthy is a very important part of a healthy life style. That is why in this lesson we are going to learn how to have a balanced diet and how to design a healthy menu!

Let´s start by looking at a food pyramid and the different food groups  represented according to how important they are in our diet:







You are now invited to post a comment including your favourite healthy recipe!






Listen to Rob from BBC Learning English preparing a full English Breakfast. Watch the video and complete the activities on the webpage.



Want to learn how to cook a great lasagne? Watch Jaime Oliver, the famous British cook, in this video:

Sunday 24 April 2016

Marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare´s death. A Midsummer Night´s Dream




To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare´s death, in our 1st of ESO lessons we are working on one of the funniest and most magical plays by Shakespeare: "A Midsummers Night´s Dream". Watch the video bellow to warm up:



Power point presentation including slides to explain the play.

Would you like to learn more about theatres at Shakespeare´s times?

Folow this link to learn about Shakespeare´s Globe Theatre!




Read about the history of The Globe Theatre from the official site.







Tuesday 19 April 2016

EARTH DAY 22nd April


Earth Day

From Wikipedia, the free enciclopedia
    
Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.




Watch these videos from the History website to learn more about Earth Day and how it is celebrated

Now let´s listen to this  great song and think about what YOU can do to help the planet!




 


Let´s listen to this great song by Michael Jackson: Earth Song