LAST PROJECT: TEEN TROUBLES SOLVED!!!

Hi everyone!!!

I would like to introduce teen troubles topic with the results of a survey about Teens. A survey done by American Psychological Association revealed that parents don´t really understand just how worried their children are. Nearly half of the teens in the survey said they were worried more than previous years, but only 28% of the parents think their teens are more worried. Twenty-six per cent of children aged 8-12 said they were more worried than in previous years, but only 17% of their parents thought their children were more stressed. Another survey showed that 75% of pre-teens are satisfied with their academic achievements and their social life but more than half are troubled by their appearance. Pre-teens also revealed that their relationships with their parents made them feel good about themselves.

Now, I wonder if you have more problems in your life and how you feel these problems have changed; that is why we are going to deal with our last project of this academic year. It is going to be made in our 7th hour lessons.

Follow these instructions:

1) Teamwork: 5 groups of five people each group.

2) According to the video I am going to display below, choose several teen troubles or focus on one

3) Design a script similar to an "old brother" programme.

4) Show to the class in a video or performance or any tool you consider appropiate for the project.

Remember: It is an oral project. You will be recorded when you show the project and no guides and sheets are allowed because you should sound as much natural and fluent as you can. GOOD LUCK!!!

EQUIPPED FOR SPORT????

Hi guys!!!

There is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence on the positive effects of sports and physical activity as a part of a healthy lifestyle. I know most of you are fond of sports aren´t you? I want to know how sport influences your life and if you consider it positive or negative. Before making your comment about this issue, watch this video and take into consideration the information displayed in it to explain your sport habits. I will be more than happy to take into account your comments and the things that impressed you most about it.

I´ll be waiting for your opinions and comments.

GOOD LUCK!!

NEW PROJECT: INTERACTIVE BOOK

Hi!!!

We start a new topic, a cultural one: THIS IS BRITAIN!!! We are going to know U.K throughout its history, monuments, geography...however, we are going to do it in a creative and original way, designing an interactive book.

How to do it?? Easily, just follow the instructions I am going to tell you below. This project has to be done during my stay in England and your Easter holidays. Deadline will be 22nd April.

1. First, you have to make up a story located in real places of United Kingdom, in which you must introduce real monuments and celebrities from those places. In order to invent this story with real characters and contexts you are obliged to make a research on the Internet about Wales, Scotland, England, North Ireland etc...to know the most relevant places and people to make them participate in your story. Your plot should be creative and original.
2. Write a draft in your computer or in some sheets to correct and change as much as you want. Once you have written and thought your story, you should give it a title, then you are going to be the author of your own interactive book.
3. Your interactive book is going to be made using "didapages" which is a useful tool to create your interactive book. You have to download it on your computer, then you can design your book and finally you can upload it into google sites and get an "URL" to insert in your blog.
4. Your book must be at least 6 pages long and you can include only three images. At the end of your book you must create some questions to verify if the person who reads your story, understands what you mean

If you have any doubts, let me know. Anyway, we will check it at the classroom next Thursday!!!

Good luck guys and take it easy!!!

TEXT MESSAGE ABBREVIATIONS!!!

Hi guys!!!

Here you are this useful link for you to practise with text message abbreviations as you did in your last class with Kristie.

http://www.ego4u.com/en/chill-out/curiosities/sms-english

And an illustrative video for you to watch what happens if you are texting while walking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLA1UelcDrE

ENJOY IT!!!

MAD ABOUT MOBILES!!!

Hi everyone!

I know you will like this new unit whose topic is MOBILES. In our current society, life does not exist without mobiles, at least in your lives, dear teens, although I know, this also happens in adults lives. As any tool, if you use it properly, it is great but if not it can hurt you in many senses...Anyway, we will take advantage of this topic to deal with specific language and signs when using our mobiles.

Let´s start with two new activities in order to break the ice with this unit.

1. Make a comment on the blog sharing with your classmates how important mobiles are in your life, how you use them and if you consider your way of using them is the appropiate one.

2. Create a comic about real and funny situations with mobiles. To create this comic you will click in the following link:

 www.bitstripsforschools.com

In that web page I have created our bilingual class to design comics about different topics and you directly should go on your left to the student login where you should introduce our password that is: ACTIVE25

When you are in, you should click in the whole class exactly in the student with your name, that way you will be in your own account introducing your own password where you will see a simple comic made by myself and below another one empty. Then, it is your turn to draw with several tools your comic. Pay attention to the vocabulary used, spelling of words and be as much creative and original as you can.

If you have doubts, don´t worry a brief introduction will be done in class on Monday.

Good luck and do your best!!!

Take care and see you tomorrow guys!!!

NEW PROJECT: FUTURE CITIES

Dear students, 

Here you are a new project for you to develop your creativity and imagination. You must create your ideal future city. To manage that, you should follow these instructions:

1.Design a powerpoint presentation of your future city.

2.Only images are allowed so, written messages are forbidden.

3.Your future city should be provided of social, educational, health services, so try to define these services on your presentation as well as all the infrastructures.

4.Mainly, you should use future tenses talking about the city you have created.

5.Deadline for your presentation will be on 18th February.

Good luck guys!!! 

FUTURE CITIES!!!!

Dear students!!!

Sometimes I wonder how the future will be....I imagine so many things....

Here you are a video about future buildings used as modern farms to save energy and be ecological...you will see...

Watch the video, perhaps it can help you for our forthcoming project!!! ENJOY!!!

NEW TOPIC: CITY LIFE

Hi all!!!

We start a new unit, quite interesting one. We are going to talk about "city life" and future cities. To break the ice, I want you to think about advantages and disadvantages of living in a city or in a village.

VS

If you had to decide where to live, you would prefer a village or a city?? Write your thoughts on the blog and share your opinion with your classmates.

BFN!!!

TALKING FASHION: OUR NEW PROJECT

Hi again!!!

We are on unit 4, coping with the perspectives of REAL FASHION, learning fashion vocabulary, using comparison, discussing dress codes and talking about fashion in general.

We take into account what we have learnt and we are going to desing a COVER of a fashion magazine.

To design this cover we will use publisher stuff and you will add pictures, adverts, scoops what you consider appropiate to sell your product in our Spanish market. From now on, pay attention to different styles and how fashion develops in our society.

More instructions will be given about this project in the classroom. It must be finished in two weeks.

DON´T FORGET:

• January, 17th: Reading book, The Lost World, Exam
• Vocabulary exams will be forthcoming.

In your opinion, is this way of dressing fashionable???

CHALLENGES FOR THIS TERM!!!

Dear students,

Here you are some new taks for this term that are not compulsory however, they can give you extra marks.

They are directly related to the topics we are dealing with in each unit and, are also related to our cultural section. It is a kind of research work for you to learn and to improve your writing.

Here you are the list of matters to work with and the way to do it:

To face these topics, first of all, you should read the cultural section in your book related to the issue you are dealing with and later work with the question I give you here on the blog. You will upload it on your blog-portfolio adding any video or picture you consider necessary.


The topics are:

1-CHILD LABOUR: Find out about child labour laws in your area. Are there laws concerning age, hours and types of work children can do?

2-SHOPPING AROUND THE WORLD: Write a paragraph about interesting shopping malls or outdoor markets to shop in your area.

3-CAPITAL CITIES: What foreign city would you like to visit? Find information and write a paragraph about it

4-THE HISTORY OF COMMUNICATION: Write an opinion article about the use of mobile phone for teenagers and according to the chart of mobile use phone in different countries, establish your own conclusions.

Try and do your best. Remember you can get extra punctuation on your final mark. Good luck guys!!!

AN AMAZING NEW YEAR 2014 IS COMING!!!!

Hi everyone!!!

We start a new year and I hope you had a happy Chistmas with your family and friends. To begin our second term at school, I invite you all to share your wishes and resolutions for the New Year in a video. Someone will record you telling your expectations for the new year and you will upload it on your blog-portfolio. 10th January will be your deadline.

New challenges are coming so, be ready to keep on working hard ok??

I want you to be brave during this year in our English projects. COURAGE will be an important word in our improvement of English

To start with our term I give you a quotation as a present for you to think and a song to listen and enjoy the lyrics:

"COURAGE IS RESISTANCE TO FEAR, MASTERY OF FEAR, NOT ABSENCE OF FEAR" Mark Twain.

LUCKY AND HAPPY TO SHARE ANOTHER YEAR WITH YOU, WE WISH YOU A JOYFUL YEAR AND ALL THE BEST IN YOUR LIVES AND IN OUR ENGLISH GOALS!!! LOVE UUUU!!!! KRISTIE AND ASCEN.

A TRIBUTE TO MY FRIEND MANDELA!!!

Hi everyone,

Last Saturday I woke up with terrible news. My friend Mandela had died. I knew that he was really ill and I also knew his age however, it is really hard to understand this world without his sight, his feelings, his heart...some people like him will never die in our world and in our thoughts because of his wisdom, his way of living, his compassion and his passion with humankind...Could you tell me what Mandela means to you???

This picture is taken in New York City when Mandela attended  an important meeting there. He was very kind and nice to me and I noticed that he was a humble person.

He made amazing statements that changed the world, that avoided wars and differences between people of colour and non-colour. He always focused on human beings no matter their colour, their religion, their ideology...so many things to learn from him

I definitely encourage you all to share your thoughts about this relevant man: NELSON MANDELA. if you also want to share some of his quotations, feel free to do it ok??

BFN!!

DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE AND TO WIN A TRIP TO NEW YORK???

Hi guys!!!

Here you are a link for you to read and to decide if you want to participate. It is a photography contest about a topic titled: CURIOSITY

From my point of view you have awesome prizes and no difficulties to participate in it. I encourage you to do it. So will I!!!

Check this web page and if you have any doubts, let me know ok??

www.curiosipics.org 

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT: OUR C.V.

Curriculum Vitae / Resume Outline

Contact Information

·    Name, address and phone number

·   NOT COMPULSORY to write your birth date as it is considered to be discrimination. You can if you wish.

Resume Statement

·         Resume Objective (that is related to the job you are applying for)

**This is your first opportunity to catch the hiring manager's attention. This is where you tell the employer what job you want or what career field you want to work in. Be very specific. A vague statement will get your resume redirected to the rubbish.

• Career and personal summary

Work Experience

·         Where?

·         What?

·         When?

Education

·         Include school, university or other tertiary education, training and courses

Optional Sections

• Skills
• Certificates (include here things like drivers license, first aid etc)
• Accomplishments
• Honors and Awards
• Professional Associations/Volunteer Experience
• Interests/hobbies

Referees (minimum of 2)

TIPS:

• Keep your sentences short
• Avoid first person pronoun (do not use ‘I’)
• Go from general to specific – use a logical order
• Use plain English

NEW PROJECT: MY C.V & A JOB INTERVIEW

Hi everyone!!!!

As you all know, we have started a new unit related to jobs. In different sessions with Kristie you have learnt enough vocabulary to display in our new projects. Now it is your turn to show your skills facing the competitive labour market.

This time we are going to deal with two projects: 

The individual one: MY C.V. ( We will deal with this one later in class).

 The other one: A JOB INTERVIEW  (in pairs) I will explain this one deeply:

1) You are going to work in pairs. Each person has a job. With your partner you have to choose one of the jobs to work with.

2) Once you have decided the job to work with then, one of you two is going to be the boss (interviewer) and the other one the person who applies for the job (interviewee)

3) You have to make up a dialogue in the context that fits with the job you have choosen (10 minutes minimum) in which the person that wants the job has to sell herself/himself.

4) Speaking fluently, pronunciation, accurate vocabulary will be required to pass this project. You will have an extra mark if you use your sense of humour or even if you dress up according to the context. 

5) You will be recorded and the deadline for this activity is going to be 2nd December.

GOOK LUCK GUYS!!!!

NEW PROJECT: KNOWING YOUR ECOLOGICAL SIDE!!!!

Hi again guys!!!

We would like to know how ecological you are in your real life that is why you are going to follow these instructions to share this information with your classmates.

1) You are going to record a tiny film in which you are the main character so, take your video camera or your mobile and try to show us your habits from the morning till night underlining those habits that are right or wrong in terms of ecology. Of course you are your own narrator in the story.

2) Create a slogan for you to remember these habits and write it down on your blog-portfolio

3) Upload your video below your slogan on your blog-portfolio

This project is going to be marked as the other ones. GOOD LUCK!!!!

That´s all folks!!!

BFN!!!

NEW UNIT IS COMING!!!! ECOLOGY!!!!

Hi guys!!!

We start a new and quite interesting unit related to ECOLOGY in our daily life. To introduce this topic you are going to watch the videos I´m uploading below and you have to make a comment telling us how ecological you are in your everyday life and the things you like most about these videos. Ask yourself a few questions:

1. Do I respect the environment?
2. Do I put in practise the three "R"?
3. Do I have ecological habits?

THANKS A LOT TO EVA HERRERO & VEGA MARTÍN, ELISABETH DOPAZO & ALBA MONTIEL & LUCÍA VILLORIA

Thanks a lot to Eva, Vega, Elisabeth, Alba M for your awesome muffins and for sharing them with all the class. Very kind of you. Above all, I really appreciate your effort trying to put in practise everything we have learnt in class.Go on this way!!!.

Here you are some picts for you to remember:

I also want to say thank you to Lucía Villoria for allowing us to listen to One Direction group in a song titled Diana related to the topic we are dealing with : FOOD DISORDERS and SELF- ESTEEM

Here you are the link if you want to enjoy the song once more:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_eFDTzxHLtQ

BYE GUYS!!! I´M CHECKING YOUR PORTFOLIOS RIGHT NOW!!!

NEW PROJECT: A DEBATE

TOPIC: THE IDEAL BODY EXISTS FOR EVERYONE

Guidelines for the debate:

1)   In your groups:

-         define the topic,

-         what does it mean to you?

-         give your opinions

USE: IDEAS FROM THE QUESTIONS LAST WEEK, QUOTES, IDIOMS, PHRASES YOU HAVE LEARNT, NEW VOCABULARY

(15 minutes)

2)   All groups share their information from 1) with the class

(10 minutes)

3)   Groups will argue for and against the ideas and opinions of other groups

USE: The debating vocabulary from the blog link

(10-15 minutes)

4)   Questions to all groups from the chair people (Ascen and kristie)

(5 minutes)

GOOD LUCK J

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD!!!

Hi all!!!

Have you ever heard about Genetically Modified food?? Have you ever tried it?? Probably you have but you are not really aware of it

To make you understand about this issue we are going to deal with a funny video which illustrates quite well what GMF is. If you like the movie "Star Wars" you are going to enjoy the "Store Wars" vídeo with modified food. We will work with it in class, just click the link:

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1301


That´s all folks!!!