MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

I just want to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS to each and everyone! I hope this new year 2010 will be full of fun and new challenges to achive both at school and in our lives! And I ask to Santa, as my Christmas present, more enthusiasm in your English lessons!!!

*ESTER*

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY: Practise some Christmas words with this activity:

ECARDS: Now that you have learnt some new words, send your friends a Christmas ecard in English!

CHRISTMAS JOKES: Here you have some Christmas jokes to have some fun during these holidays. Did you understand them?

CHRISTMAS: Sing along with Cascada!

Lyrics | Last Christmas lyrics

Christmas origins and traditions

Christmas has been celebrated on December 25 since 336 A.D. The tradition started as a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus and has evolved into an international holiday that embodies family togetherness and good cheer.

Christmas gets it name from "Christ," meaning "Messiah" or "Anointed One," and "Mass," meaning "religious festival." Jesus, born in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary, was given the title of "Christ" because he was regarded as a great king who would protect people from all wrong and evil.

So great, in fact, that the Three Kings, or Three Wise Men, brought three gifts to honor him: gold, frankincense (a resin burned in the worship of God) and myrrh (a plant oil used to bury the dead and a symbol of mortality). These gifts symbolized Jesus' excellence, his close relationship with God (as His son) and his oneness with the human race.

While some still regard Christmas solely as a religious holiday, Christmas has become, for many, a day to celebrate family and be merry (and to needlessly spend aplenty, as some cynics would note!). In the spirit of holiday cheer, many observe the traditions of Santa Claus, mistletoe, Christmas trees and Christmas cards described below.

Santa Claus gets his origins from St. Nicholas, a generous man from the 4th century A.D. who helped the children and the poor, often throwing gifts through children's windows to make them happy. Brought to America by Dutch immigrants in the 1600s as "Sinter Klaas," Americans soon began calling him "Santa Claus." Through the imagination of various authors and illustrators, Santa evolved into the fat, jolly, red-suited man from the North Pole we know today.

Kissing under the mistletoe, our favorite sprig of green leaves and white berries, dates back to a 17th century English custom. At that time, a berry was removed every time a kiss was made, which meant there were no kisses when there no berries. We seem to have since forgotten about the berry removal - allowing us to fully concentrate on the kissing!

The tradition of Christmas trees was started in 16th century Germany. Martin Luther, a German theologian, is thought to have popularized the concept. On a brisk, clear Christmas Eve, Luther was walking home under a bright, starry sky, which was so beautiful that he wanted to recreate its beauty for his children. His idea was to decorate a large evergreen with glowing candles, a custom we still honor today in more modern forms.

And last but not least: the Christmas card, probably the most popular way to express holiday sentiments, was started in England in 1843. The first Christmas card was printed in the United States in 1875 by Louis Prang, a Massachusetts printer. By running nationwide contests for the best Christmas designs, Prang helped launch Christmas cards into a multibillion dollar industry.

Nowadays, most people prefer E-cards. An e-card is similar to a postcard or greeting card, with the primary difference being that it is created using digital media instead of paper or other traditional materials. Below, I'm posting a couple of links that let us send beautiful e-cards. I hope you like !!

E-cards 1

E-cards 2

THANKSGIVING: "Origins&History"

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. It is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November. So, this year it's going to be next 28th November. On this day, families gather together, and many people say prayers of thanks for the years blessings. In many homes, a big dinner of roast turkey and dressing is served. Thanksgiving is traditionally a harvest festival. Similar festivals are celebrated in many parts of the world to give thanks after the years crops have been safely harvested. Canada also celebrates  Thanksgiving but during the second Monday in October. Now watch these videos to learn more!

After watching these videos, visit these links to complete your Thanksgiving Dossier:

- Picture Dictionary 1:  
http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/files/thanksgiving1.pdf

- Picture Dictionary 2:  
http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/files/thanksgiving2.pdf

- Wikipedia:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
- Enciclopaedia Britannica:  
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/590003/Thanksgiving-Day
- Thanksgiving Day Organisation:  
http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/
- Holidays Thanksgiving:  
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/thanksgiving-day
- All about Thanksgiving:  
http://www.rumela.com/events/events_november_thanksgiving.htm
- Holidays on the Net:  
http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/
- A kid's Heart Thanksgiving:  
http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/thanks/thmain.htm

BONFIRE NIGHT: "Origins&History"

Hi everyone!! Have you ever heard of Bonfire Night. If it is not the case, through this activity you will have the oportunity to learn about this festivity that it is celebrated every 5th November. Watch the video and try to extract the main information from it to learn more about this celebration. Have fun!!

Happy Halloween

HALLOWEEN: "Origins&History"

Check out this presentation explaining the origins and ways to celebrate Halloween. You can also click on the two Halloween links I added below the presentation. Then post your own comments explaining the origins and ways to celebrate Castanyada. Come on! Show this Catalan Tradition to the world!

Halloween History

View more presentations from Sunnyme.

Halloween Link 1          Halloween Link 2

UNIT 2 : Homework (WB p.20)

Hi everyone! Are you about to finish Unit 2? Then, listen to me to do your dictation, ok? Pay attention and write these 6 sentences in your workbook (page 20). Are you ready? Let's start!

UNIT 2 : Family Tree

Hi students, we are having an exam on Unit 2 next week. Do you need more practice ? You will find some useful links below.
Family 1

Family 2

Have got 1                  

Have got 2             

Have got 3

Best Practices!

Hi everyone! Some of you are making an extra effort to improve your English marks and you are giving me your writing. GREAT! Look what another classmate from 2nd ESO did to improve his English. He earned a positive! Well done, V.L., CONGRATULATIONS!

 LAST WEEKEND 

Last weekend, for the festivity of Saint Pilar, I went to Montiró. Montiró is a small village close to "l'Escala". I stayed three days in Montiró with my mother and my sister. We went to my mother friend's house, a very big house! These days the weather was bad, but I had lots of fun! 

In Montiró I played basketball, rode a scooter and a bicicle. With my mother's friends, we went to l'Escala to see the sea and the waves breaking. A big wave got us wet. We also went to see an abandoned shanty tawn. In our way we found a lot of big and white mushrooms.         

  V. L. - SA  

Best Practices!

Hi everyone! Some of you are making an extra effort to improve your English marks and you are giving me your writing. GREAT! Look at this powerpoint presentation that three classmates from 2nd ESO A did to improve his English. They earned a positive! Well done  Júlia B., Marina D. and Mireia F. CONGRATULATIONS!

London

View more presentations from esterboldu.

UNIT 1: Present Perfect

Hi everyone !! As you know you have got an English exam, haven't you? Do you need more practice? Below you will find some useful links.

Present Perfect 1
Present Perfect 2
Present Perfect 3
Present Perfect 4
Present Perfect 5
Present Perfect 6
Present Perfect 7
Present Perfect 8
Present Perfect 9

UNIT 1: List of Irregular Verbs

Hi everyone!!! Click on the picture and you will get a list of irregular verbs. I hope it will be useful !!

Did you know...?

The word sandwich that we use today was born in London during the very late hours one night in 1762. It was named after John Montagu, the Fourth Earl^[1] of Sandwich, an 18th century English aristocrat (1718-1792). As the story goes, in 1762, during a 24 hour gambling streak he instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook presented him with sliced meat between two pieces of toast. Perfect! This meal required no utensils such fork or knife and could be eaten with one hand, leaving the other free to continue the game. The nobleman was able to continue his gambling while eating his snack and because Montagu also happened to be the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, others began to order "the same as Sandwich!". It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat with his bare hands.


From that incident, we have inherited that quick-food product that we now know as the sandwich. Sadly, the name of real inventor of the sandwich (be it inventive cook or the creative consumer) was not recorded for posterity. Besides the more obvious meaning of sandwich, "something edible between two or more slices of bread", metaphorically speaking, it also means "to squeeze in between two other people, places, things, materials, etc." For example: Her car was sandwiched between two other cars in the parking lot. 


Earl^[1]= it's a title of nobility from Great Britain that means "count", like Count Dracula.
(source = http://www.wordsources.info/words-mod-sandwich.html) 
(source = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandwich)
(source = http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsandwiches.html)

UNIT 1 : Homework (WB p.10)

Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I'm your dictation teacher. Listen to me to do your homework, ok? Pay attention and write these 6 sentences in your workbook. Are you ready? Let's start!

UNIT 1 : Countries and Languages

Countries and nationalities

UNIT 0: Comparatives and Superlatives

Hi everyone ! The last day in class, we dealt with comparison adjectives . Do you need more practice ? Ok, below you will find some activities.

Comparative and superlative 1

Comparative and superlative 2

Comparative and superlative 3

Comparative and superlative 4

Comparative and superlative 5

Comparison with AS... AS

Treasure Hunt: What's this blog about?

Welcome to your ENGLISH BLOG! To begin with, you are going to do a Treasure Hunt on this blog. Work in pairs and read all the questions. First, answer the questions in a word document. When you finish, then post your answers as comments.

DON'T FORGET TO WRITE YOUR NAMES!

1. There is one photo on the right of this post. Where do you think it is from, the UK or the USA? Can you name the city?

2. What section do you see at the very top of the blog? What's the meaning of its title?

3. What is the website address of your coursebook? What activities can you find in it?

4. How many "English" dictionaries can you find on this blog? What are their names? What is Wordreference? And Babel Fish? Can you find any dictionary online on this blog?

5. Name 2 British newspapers and 2 American newspapers. Look at the websites of the British and American TV channels. Is there any programme that you know of?

6. Imagine that you want to watch a movie in original version (English) with subtitles. Can you name the movie theaters you can go?

7. What is the address of the British Council in Barcelona? What is the address of the Institut d'Estudis Nord-Americans in Barcelona? Can you take First Certificate or Proficiency tests at the British Council? 

8. Look at the Cyber Listening Lab. Try one of the online dictations. What is VOA? And ELLLO?

9. Is there any game online? And where can you see videos?

10. Look at the archive section and classify the posts according to at least 5 different categories. Is there any other way to get to this posts apart from the archive section?

THE GREAT QUESTION: Now that you have visited your English blog, can you tell me which uses can you think for this blog to help you in your English learning process?

Did you find the answers to all the questions? Now post them as comments!

1st DAY RULES

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

25% Speaking / Listening / Attitude

50% Grammar / Vocabulary

25% Writing / Reading / Homework

Exams include Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading, Writing, Listening. So they are the 75% of your mark. Then we add a 25% from your Homework and Attitude marks. Remember that English is a subject with continuous assessment. To pass English, you have to pass a minimum of 2 terms of the year (3rd Term+1st/2nd Term). If you fail English, you will have to take a remedial exam in September. You will have to do some summer homework (20%).

Extra Points: +0,25 points at the end of your Term Mark if you always try to talk to me in English inside and outside the classroom. And yes, I will ALWAYS talk in English, of course!

ENGLISH MATERIAL:

- 1 Student's Book and 1 Workbook.

- 1 Notebook (with squared paper, 4 holes and micro-perforated). At the end of the year you will have to create an English Portfolio including all the notes you have got in your Notebook, all the photocopies and other activities we have done in class. Optional: plastic folder.

- 4 pens: 1 red (titles), 1 green (correction), 1 blue (English) and 1 black (translation).
- 1 English dictionary.

- 1 English reader. (1^stESO: Sherlock Holmes / 4^thESO: The Canterville Ghost / Shakespeare)

- 1 email (better from Gmail) to enter your coursebook website, blog and to email me.
- CLASSROOM EMAIL: inspauvila@gmail.com
- CLASSROOM BLOG: http://anglester.blogspot.com/
- CLASSROOM MOODLE: http://agora.xtec.cat/iespauvila/moodle/
- COURSEBOOK WEBSITE: I’ll tell you your usernames and passwords (October aprox).
(1^stESO) www.voices.mac-english.com
(4^thESO) www.burlingtonbooks.es/realenglish4

EXAMS AND TESTS:

You will take an exam after every unit. They include EVERYTHING we have done in class, so YES, they are difficult and you have to study. You will also take different vocabulary or reading tests during the year. Once they are corrected, I will give them back to you so your parents can look at it and sign it. If you don't bring your exams back in 1week, you will have a negative. At the end of each term, I will return your exams so you can include them in your English portfolio at the end of the year so you can review them.

HOMEWORK:

There is ALWAYS homework to do, so it's your DUTY to bring your homework and English material every day that we have got class. If you don't show me your homework or you don't bring your books, you have got a negative. I will only give  you a positive for extra activities (presentations, news, projects, celebrations...). To begin with, you have this 1^st week to hand in your summer books (Friday 21^st September).

EXTRA ACTIVITIES:
At the end of the term, if you behave, there will be a TREAT: watching a Movie, going to the Computers or Audiovisuals room, or creating a Project. If your attitude is not correct, there will be NO TREAT, and we will continue with the next lesson on your book. There are also EXTRA activities, like going to the Theatre (1^stESO) or the Comenius Exchange (2^ndESO), like the Scottish Dances (3^rdESO) or the Cultural Trivial (4^thESO). But it all depends on your behaviour: “the better your attitude is, the more extra activities we will do”.

Back to School!