ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

lyrics

MERRY CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

SPEAKING PRACTICE

STUDENT A
You are an English person travelling in Spain. You want to find out how to travel from Madrid to Córdoba. Prepare some questions to ask Student B.


STUDENT B
You are a tourist information officer in Madrid who can speak English.
Respond to Student A's questions.

travel

TRAVEL OPTIONS
bus coach plane train ferry
subway schedule railroad baggage check street car/tram
left luggage office fare first class outward journey student travel-card

aisle seat/window seat
platform bay stop book/reserve
single return open ticket off-peak rush hour

planning vacation

going on holidays

this month's TOPIC: TRAVEL

TRAVEL vocabulary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKuZ4gxxwDk

what about................?

a presentation on your favourite passtime activity?

Explain to your classmates how you like spending your free time, what activities you fancy doing most, how they make you feel, when you discovered your interest, how long you have been doing/practising... as many details as possible for about, let's say, five minutes :)

You can add photographs or even bring some material

BE PREPARED TO ANSWER TO YOUR FRIENDS' QUESTIONS

class debate

discussion points:

1. watching TV makes people lazy and stupid?
2. bungee jumping should be banned because it is crazy and dangerous
3. playing video games encourages violent behaviour among teenagers
4. students who play computer games perform poorly at school
5. young people should not play chess. It is meant for old people
6. surfing is a hobby for men, not women
7. playing football is more interesting than playing tennis

support your opinion

FREE TIME ACTIVITIES

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE FREE TIME ACIVITY?

• how often do you practise your hobby?
• where? when? who...with?
• why do you enjoy it?

billiards/snooker bowling brainteasers camping canoeing embroidering card games quilting carpentry checkers chess computing needle work gardening woodwork pottery bird-watching stamp collecting checkers darts photography martial arts video games indoor sports outdoor sports cinema theatre books/comics music/composing battleship domino extreme sports

which activities do you find...?

• boring
• challenging
• dangerous
• exciting
• fun
• relaxing
  

SPEAKING ACTIVITIES FOR EVALUATION

1. ROLE-PLAY: JOB INTERVIEW

2. PRESENTATION: MY HOBBY OR FAVOURITE PASTIME

3. PLAY: FOUR/FIVE STUDENTS PERFORMING A SHORT SITCOM. Topic: TRAVELLING ABROAD
(If possible we could perform for the Christmas festival)

4. PICTURE DESCRIPTION

we'll discuss instructions and requirements in class, just be ready to SPEAK ENGLISH
Good luck

CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS

brainstorming activity:

words associated with 'light' that you find in the lyrics, then add any others...

lyrics

JOB INTERVIEW

Speaking English is very important today..........as it is knowing how to deal with a JOB INTERVIEW
Some interesting expressions may turn up and you may want to learn them after watching the video by clicking on the link above.

TASK: REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE TO ROLE-PLAY A JOB INTERVIEW in PAIRS
AND COMPOSE A CURRICULUM VITAE

GOOD LUCK!!!

STUDY THESE WORDS...

STEPS:

-TRY TO REMEMBER WHEN WE COMMENTED THESE WORDS IN CLASS: the activity, the topic we were dealing with, the context...

-TRY TO REVISE THE MEANING AND USE IT IN A COMMUNICATIVE SITUATION: this is, put the word into use making up a sentence, for example

THE WORDS ARE GROUPED BECAUSE THEY ARE RELATED OR WE STUDIED THEM ON THE SAME DAY:

a-blazer, badge, A-level, O-level, canteen, careers office, careers advicer, gap year, Performing Arts, college

b-dinner suit, sleeves, tight, to hire, ticket, to socialize, compliment, to compliment

c-pier, arcade, lane, amusement ride, stony beach

d-personal details, profile, qualifications, achievements, references, aims, advice,

e-get-to-know -you party, introduce, hobby, main interest,

revision

revise your VOCABULARY for the first term

HERE WE ARE AGAIN.........

FOR THE NEW COURSE AND THE NEW STUDENTS.....

READY TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH AND HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS POSSIBLE

CLASS DEBATE: SUPERSHOPS

TALKING ABOUT RADIO COMMERCIALS AND LISTENING TO SOME OF THEM LED US TO HAVING A DEBATE IN CLASS:
How much do ADS influence us?

SPEAKING PRACTICE

ON THE PHONE

When speaking on the phone, our use of the language is sometimes more relaxed, less formal....
Let's practise with some conversations:
-you phone your friend to cancel your appointment
-you phone your teacher to know about the new timetable for your classes

and

What about leaving a message on an answering machine?
We practised and it was really funny.

SPEAKING PRACTICE

JOB INTERVIEW

Have you ever thought that maybe some day you will have a job interview in ENGLISH?

We practised for some days. We based our activity on one of the books the teacher brought to class and we also listened to some real job interviews.
Then it was our turn to practise and we were evaluated for it.

GAMES

What do you associate with the word........?
for example MONDAY

You can't imagine how many words you can say. You won't believe yourself!

DO YOU WANT TO TRY?

There is an amazing website called 'lyricstraining'.
You can fill in the blanks of the lyrics of a song at the same time you watch the video.
We did it sometimes and enjoyed.
You end up learning the songs by heart!!!
Do you want to try?

lyricstraining.com

IRELAND

We also watched:
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER

It was really difficult English because of the strong British accent although the story is really interesting and moving.
What called our attention? Hippies in London. Amazing!

GAMES

BACK TO THE BLACKBOARD

This is a funny game.
One student is sitting back to the blackboard while the teacher is writing a word we have recently learnt.
The rest of the class have to HELP the student to GUESS the word by giving definitions, making gestures...

PROJECTS

HEALTHY AND UNHEALTHY FOOD

This time we watched some videos about eating habits in Anglo-saxon countries. We compared them with our own and watched some videos.
Finally to get some useful conclusions and learn new vocabulary, we designed a HEALTHY menu.
We did some research on the internet.

DEBATE in class

After watching the film BEFORE and AFTER, with Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep, we had an interesting debate in class:

Who had better reasons to act the way they did: father or mother?
Would you have done the same?
Is the end of the story fair?

SPEAKING PRACTICE

Speaking Situations: Describing a Picture

Phrases for these situations

Vocabulary for these situations

Conversation Practice

1. Find a picture from a book or magazine.
Describe the picture to your partner.

the BBC news

The teacher always makes us listen to BBC
Sometimes there are listening tasks (and tests) based on the section '6 minutes English'

We prepare the listening by reading the file and listening to it once and again. Then we have a test with some questions.
It is useful if you try to keep in your memory whole sentences with information. Hard work this time!

Just click here: bbc.co.uk

bbc.co.uk

I've got a feeling........

WHAT ABOUT SOME MUSIC AND LYRICS?

phonetics is FUN!!!!
Click on the link and see how much you can learn: allphonetics.blogspot.com

actors and actresses FOR A DAY!

We enjoyed DUBBING the video of chapter 1 of STAND OUT.
We worked in groups. We chose a scene and we played the roles, just the voice.
It was really funny. We rehearsed for some days and the result was INCREDIBLE!

AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH

Listen to the DVD. THE U.K. AND THE U.S.A.
AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH
AMERICAN AND BRITISH CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
AMERICAN AND BRITISH TEENAGERS

We've watched all the videos and done some listening tasks....It was a bit hard sometimes!!!!

let's play cards

playing cards

Sometimes, playing cards can be a way to speak English. Take a card and follow the instructions:
CLUBS (mixed questions)
Ace: What is your address in English?
King: What time do you usually get up?
Queen: Where did you go for your last holidays?
Jack: Where were you born?
Ten: Why are you studying English?
Nine: Which do you prefer, summer or winter, and why?
Eight: Which magazine do you read?

...
There are four different packs of cards with different levels of difficulty...just choose one of them, pick your card and enjoy with your friends. It is also a nice way to get to know each other better.

ICE-BREAKING ACTIVITIES

DIALOGUE ON A TRAIN TO OXFORD:
A: Ummm cigarette
b: Thanks
A: Oxford
b. Yes You
A: that's right Student
b:Nurse you
A: Unemployed................
...................................etc.........

Students read the dialogue. They can play roles in pairs. The aim of this activity is to make students aware of the fact that sometimes it is not necessary to say the whole sentence to make oneself understood.
It is important to recognize the VALUE OF CONTEXT AND NON-LINGÜISTIC STRATEGIES

COMPLETE THE DIALOGUE WITH FULL SENTENCES

COMMUNICATION ACTIVITY.

CLASS DEBATE

Be prepared to discuss the following questions:
WOULD TEENAGERS IN YOUR COUNTRY EXPRESS SIMILAR VIEWS? WHY? WHY NOT?
DO YOU THINK TEENAGERS NEED DISCIPLINE? WHY? WHY NOT?
WHAT SORT OF PARENTS DO YOU THINK TEENAGERS LIKE?

My parents don't love me. They insist I come home at eleven every night!
My parents don't love me. They let me stay out till all hours!!
My parents don't love me. They're spoiling me by giving me everything I ask for
Psst! Wanna swop parents?

LISTENING

Follow the link and listen to the BBC '6 minute English' report on FOOTBALL RIVALRIES.
Then answer the questions:
-What is a 'derby'?
-Where does the word come from?
-Which are famous 'derbies' in Britain?
-What happened during the mentioned Rangers/Celtic match?
-Which is one of the solutions proposed to prevent violence in the stadiums?

SPEAKING: SPONTANEOUS STORY-TELLING

You are going to work in groups of 4 or 5 students.
You will be given cards with some prompts that you will have to arrange in order to tell a story which makes sense about any of the characters presented.
You only have 5 minutes to think about it.
You can only start a story if you have a card with a proper name and a picture/drawing...
then...use your imagination and organize the cards so that you can make up a complete narration...
Try to make it entertaining
Try to give details
Try to make your partners ask you questions.....
HAVE A NICE TIME!

SPEAKING PRACTICE

ROLE PLAY
Student A: You are an English person travelling in Spain. You want to find out how to travel from Madrid to Córdoba.
Student B: You are a tourist information officer in Madrid who can speak English. Respond to A's questions.
......................................................................................................................................................
Student A: You are at Heathrow airport, London. You want to travel into London. Ask for information.
Student B: You are the clerk at the ticket office. Answer the questions Student A asks.
...................................................................................................................................................

USE THE EXPRESSIONS WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE LISTENING ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THIS TOPIC ....

BE CONFIDENT AND AS FLUENT AS POSSIBLE...................!!!! Good luck!

more...........FOR TRAVELLING

passport control arrivals hall information centre ticket machines transport system scheduled stops destination direct-service stopping-service
aisle seat window seat advanced booking telephone booking internet rate
platform bay stop book open ticket off-peak rush hour

AN USEFUL WAY TO REVISE IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THESE WORDS USING THE SECOND LANGUAGE.
Example: 'arrivals hall ' is the place in the airport where you meet people that have travelled

USEFUL VOCABULARY FOR TRAVELLING

bus-coach-plane-train-ferry
subway-schedule-railroad-baggage check-street car
fare-first class- outward journey-period return- student travel card

BRITISH ENGLISH AMERICAN ENGLISH
left luggage office baggage check
railway railroad
timetable schedule
tube/Underground subway
tram street car

single ticket/return ticket one way ticket/ round trip

WEBQUEST

This is a WEBQUEST about 'The Corrs'. Read all the information provided and answer the questions.
Then, you have a nice song to listen to and sing along.

THE CORRS

SPEAKING PRACTICE

EXPAND THE SCENE
Describe the photographs:
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWWEN THEM?
WHAT DO THEY SHARE IN COMMON?
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PEOPLE IS?
......................................................
Lots of questions may be asked . Can you think of any others?
............................................................................................

We have practised in class with some photographs on the whiteboard.......try to remember because this will be a part of your final SPEAKING test.

.................

THE QUEEN

As a class activity, during this week ,we'll be watching some fragments from the very famous film 'THE QUEEN ', based on the tragic event of Lady Di's car crash in Paris and the following turmoil caused by the Queen's reluctance to pay her tribute and give her a proper funeral.
You have some listening activities and speaking pairwork in the I.E.S. Miguel Delibes webpage, section of the English Department.
What is important about the film:
-Get some knowledge about the Royal Family, as they are still a very important element in the British society
-Balmoral Castle (Scotland)
-Royal family's outdoor activities
and of course, LAST but NOT LEAST: the pure BRITISH ENGLISH ACCENT just for the sake and pleasure of listening.

SPEAKING PRACTICE DO YOU AGREE or DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS? -I do not think teenagers are responsible enough to drive -I want to get my driving licence as soon as possible -They should teach everyone to drive in the sixth form at school

GETTING AROUND

Now we are working with USEFUL English: GETTING AROUND PLACES, how to give directions. VOCABULARY BANK: bus lane traffic jam pedestrianized area subway/underground (British and American English) zebra crossing highway code full/provisional driving licence fine parking ticket traffic warden speed limit jump the lights road rage confident/dangerous drivers pavement/sidewalk (British and American English) Culture: In London, cars drivers have to pay to drive into the city centre. This Congestion Charge costs &8 a day, about 10 euros. The L-plate is an international sign for learner drivers. It began in the UK in 1935. Once you have a British driving licence, you don't have to renew it until you are 70.

FRIENDS

Ross and Phoebe argue about evolution.
Activities ready for you in the VIRTUAL CLASSROOM (Aula Virtual del I.E.S.-Ampliación de inglés)

SPEAKING PRACTICE

Imagine you are a reporter. An fire has destroyed a building, two people are seriously ill, it took about ten minutes the firefighters to arrive........A witness can give you all the details...
Work with your partner. Role -play.
Follow the instructions in the hand-out provided by your teacher.
Be fluent, try to sound natural.
GOOD LUCK!

VOCABULARY REVISION
IN THE NEWS

• flood forest fire fire earthquake robbery murder bomb attack
• to hurt to harm to damage to injure / hurt harmed injured damaged
  
• to rob to steal to mug to shoplift to burgle to smuggle
• robber thief mugger shoplifter burglar smuggler
  
• theft robbery shoplift burglary
  
• to put out a fire
  
• serious illness seriously ill

PSYCHO Project

Project:
Groupwork: 2/3 students
Oral exposition about the film 'Psycho' by Alfred Hitchcock
Duration: 3-5 minutes
Topics: - the role of music in the film
- about Alfred Hitchcock and other films
- analysing characters: Describe Norman Bates
- describing places
- opinion : we are film critics
- any other ideas are welcome................!

happy Saint Patrick's Day
click on the link and enjoy the music.
It will bring you GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Let's know a little bit more about Alfred Hitchcock.

Become a film critic.
Next week, we are starting to watch the film 'PSYCHO'.

There is a project coming after the film........so pay attention!
Alfred Hitchcock

The flight was short. We got to the airport in London and after we had to take a train to Canterbury. It was difficult to speak. My new friend was a student at University. He wanted to be a doctor. I was also a student, but I wanted to be a journalist. We talked about our families and our friends. When we arrived and got off the train, it started to rain. It was almost dark. I couldn't see the place very well. There were many people on the streets. We had to find a place to spend the night. There were two options: to spend the night at the station and wait until it is daylight or to go round the city looking for a 'bed and breakfast' with vacancies. If you choose the station, click here and if you choose a 'bed and breakfast' click here

Smoking in public places

Hello, i was in the smoking debat and i think that was a good debat but short and intense.
David

DEBATE IN CLASS

Today we have had more speaking practice in class. The topic: SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES.
The teacher has divided us into groups of five people. We have had some time to think about it and organize the ideas . Two of the groups were 'FOR' and the other two groups were 'AGAINST'...We haven't finished the activity yet...we'll continue tomorrow. It is really annoying when you want to express your ideas and it takes time to do it in a foreign language.....especially if you look for accuracy more than for fluency..........or is it the other way around?

And.............she decided to leave the place without making any noise. She was afraid.......the night was cold outside but it was colder inside the hut. She didn't remember exactly what had happened. Andrea was shouting at her, then she heard a noise like a thunder, finally something hit her head and she fell on to the ground , unconscious........and a few minutes ago she had woken up. She had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen to her.......