Saturday 28 November 2009

Black Friday: Shop 'til you drop

Hi there students!
Do you know what Black Friday is? If you don't, click on the following link to listen to Randall, a teacher from the US, telling you about it (click play when you're on his site).
It's interesting!
You can also do the activities he proposes.

Enjoy!

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Lucky Turkey: Courage

Check this out! =]


After 10 months in office, President Barack Obama granted his first pardon — to "Courage," a turkey spared the Thanksgiving table.

The president said, "Thanks to the intervention of Malia and Sasha, because I was planning to eat this sucker, Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate."
He said Courage was pardoned "before I change my mind" and will get to live out his life in Disneyland.

The First Thanksgiving

Hi there folks!
Below is the video I played today in class about the history of Thanksgiving. You can watch it again or for the first time if you didn't attend class today. You can ask me for the handout with the activities next week.
I hope you now know a bit more about the history of this big American family holiday.

Enjoy!!!

Monday 23 November 2009

BBC RAW: Skills for Everyday Life


Hi there folks!
I've just had a tip from one of my colleagues in Mazarrón, Mª Carmen Cascales, for a new website by the BBC where you can practise your listening skills and learn vocabulary about the topics we deal with in class in a new and fun way!  
Click here to visit it and listen to Phil telling you about  how to use the site.
Click here for an example of a listening about shopping: Shop 'til you drop.

It's really cool!
Besides, if you click on the S button on the lower right-hand side, you can activate the subtitles.


You can't miss it! 
Enjoy! =]

Sunday 22 November 2009

Wonderful Website with Lots of Resources

Hi there again!
I've found a really comprehensive and useful website called Using English for learners (and teachers) of English and I think it can be of great interest to you, so I'm posting here the link for you to visit it and use it as a complement to our lessons. 
Check it out and enjoy!!!

Click here to find handouts to practise your grammar and more. (Yours is intermediate level).
For example you might be interested in practising your present perfect or even your phrasal verbs (although we haven't seen them in class yet, but we will).
Click here to find help for students.
Click here for intermediate reading comprehension (I recommend the readings about culture & travel, health, environment and nature and entertainment).

I hope you use it!!

Dog Auditioning for Turkey Role

Hi there!
Thanksgiving is almost here again and I found this funny video about an acting dog auditioning* for the role of a turkey.
Can you understand the main ideas? I hope you do! It's American English.
*Audition: perform to get a role in a film or play.

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Shops and Shopping Handout Keys

Hi there!
You can now check your answers to the Shops and Shopping photocopy I gave you last week.
62.1 2. clothes / clothing
3. vegetables /'vedʒtəbəl/ 
4. furniture 
5. electrical appliances
6. jewellery 
7. toys
8. stationery


62.2 Butcher's: chicken, beef, pork.
Newsagent's: notebook, envelopes, newspapers (or papers), cigarettes.

Chemist: aspirin, paracetamol, plasters.
Supermarket: Grapes, bananas, carrots, bread, ketchup, toothbrush, shampoo.

Department store: gloves, armchair, suitcase, books.


62.3 1. butcher's
2. shopping centre (mall in AmE)
3. shop/ sales assistant
4. changing / fitting room
5. till / cash desk
6. window shopping
7. off-licence
8. chemist's / chemist / pharmacy


62.4 1. looking for

2. size
3. being served,
4. changing room
5. take it.

Monday 16 November 2009

Money, Money by ABBA

Hi there again!
Last week your classmate Lola gave me the tip for one more song about money. It's Money, Money by Swedish group ABBA
Here it is together with the lyrics!

I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay
Ain't it sad?
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me
That's too bad
In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work at all, I'd fool around and have a ball

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world

A man like that is hard to find but I can't get him off my mind
Ain't it sad?
And if he happens to be free I bet he wouldn't fancy me
That's too bad
So I must leave, I'll have to go
To Las Vegas or Monaco
And win a fortune in a game, my life will never be the same

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world
Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world (x2)

Listening: Shopaholics

Hi there everyone!
I'm posting here a link to the listening I played in class about shopaholics. Remember it's taken from 6 Minute English, so it's six-minute long, but I only played the first 2:10 minutes
Click here to listen to it again and read the transcript. You can download both the audio and the script from the To take away box on the upper right-hand side of the site. 
 
Enjoy!

Monday 9 November 2009

Money in pop music

Hi everyone!
We're dealing with money matters in class and we watched the video for Ka-chin  by Shania Twain in class, remember? Well, now I'm posting here three music videos whose songs talk about money and spending. The first one is an all-time classic by the great Beatles (although the song isn't theirs this time), the second is an 80's classic by Madonna and the last one is a more recent song I really enjoy by The Offspring
Different times but same issues...

They all have interesting lyrics, so check them out!!
Hope you like them! If you want to recommend any other song, feel free to do so. 

 The best things in life are free
But you can keep them for the birds and bees
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want

You're lovin' gives me a thrill
But you're lovin' don't pay my bills
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want

Money don't get everything it's true
What it don't get, I can't use
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want, wah

Money don't get everything it's true
What it don't get, I can't use
Now give me money
That's what I want
That's what I want, yeah
That's what I want

Well now give me money
A lot of money
Wow, yeah, I wanna be free
Oh I want money
That's what I want
That's what I want, well
Now give me money
A lot of money
Wow, yeah, you need money
now, give me money
That's what I want, yeah
that's what I want

 
Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me
I think they’re o.k.
If they don’t give me proper credit
I just walk away

They can beg and they can plead
But they can’t see the light, that’s right
’cause the boy with the cold hard cash
Is always mister right, ’cause we are

Chorus:
Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

end of chorus

Some boys romance, some boys slow dance
That’s all right with me
If they can’t raise my interest then I
Have to let them be

Some boys try and some boys lie but
I don’t let them play
Only boys who save their pennies
Make my rainy day, ’cause they are

(chorus)

Living in a material world [material]
Living in a material world
(repeat)

Boys may come and boys may go
And that’s all right you see
Experience has made me rich
And now they’re after me, ’cause everybody’s

(chorus)

A material, a material, a material, a material world,

Living in a material world [material]
Living in a material world

Saturday 7 November 2009

First Written Assignment Due 11th November

Hi there,
This is just a reminder for you to e-mail me or hand in to me your first writing. It's the assignment on page 17 in your student's book.

You need to write about 150 words and the deadline is Wednesday, 11th November.
Remember to revise your work carefully once it's finished looking for grammar, spelling, punctuation and even coherence mistakes and follow the instructions I gave you in class.

See you!

Wednesday 4 November 2009

Irregular Verbs

Hello again!
Here's one more document for you! 

Click here to download a copy of the irregular verbs list classified into different groups so that you can memorize them more easily (or so I hope). 
As you can imagine, the fourth column which is left blank is for you to write the Spanish equivalents, if you need to do so.
You can always make your own poster with them and put it up on your bedroom walls, for instance. It works. =]
I will also give a hard copy to Fran and it can go round the class.

Oh, and if you spot a mistake, let me know. I did it last year kind of in a hurry and I've revised it, but these things happen.

Enjoy!!

NI1 Objectives, Contents and Bibliography (09/10)

Hi there everyone,
Here's the document I showed you in class with this year's NI1 objectives, contents and bibliography. Remember to print out your copy or make a photocopy with the one I gave Fran.
This is important!
Click here for the document.

Monday 2 November 2009

BBC Podcasts

Hi there!
Do you remember I told you about podcasts in class and how incrediby useful they can be to you? Well, here's a reminder for you to visit the BBC website with hundreds of free podcasts ready to go!
Download them and play them in your MP3, MP4 or computer. It's as easy as pie!

Now, if you feel they're still too difficult for you... don't worry! There are some of them especially created for students of English. =]
Click on the links below to see and download them. You'll love them!!



Improve your English vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills using everyday informal English. Updated every Thursday.



6 Minute English

Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations. Published every Wednesday.





Improve your English grammar. Available every Friday. 

Just as an example, last week's podcast (30th October) dealt with talking about future plans. This is the summary:


We learn more about using 'going to' and the present continuous to talk about our future plans - and about the differences between them.


I hope you follow my advice!!