Manifesto

The people in this video know very well what's important in life and what's not. With this video, they encourage the rest of us to live a life full of intention, creativity, passion and community. Biking is their passion and they will change everything to make life simple and to adapt it to their needs. Have a look and tell me what you think. Do you agree with everything? Is there anything you wouldn't do? Enjoy...

Your wishlist

Have you got a wishlist? Are there any places you would like to visit or things you would like to do? Is there an event you wouldn't miss, like the Oscars Ceremony or a Premier League Football Final? Top in my wishlist is visit New York, because I have seen it in so many films all my life, that I wouldn't like to miss it. Now, I want to know about you.

To choose or not to choose...

Our Minister of Education, whose name I don't want to remember..., gave us some food for thought this week. He suggested studying at the university, not what we like, but whatever would be more likely to help us find a job in the future. Shall we spend four (or more) years studying something we hate just because it will be  easier to find a job? And a job we probably won't like either... What's the important thing in life, Mr Wert? Being happy or making money?

My dear students, I want to know what YOU FUTURE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS think...

Shall we go to London?

What are the usual questions when you get to London? First of all, you'll have to decide how to get to the city centre from the airport. As you arrive at your hotel, you'll need to check in. And you will have some questions about where to eat, where to shop... If you want to learn more about this new experience, click here .

bbclearningenglish is a very useful tool to improve your listening skills. Surf and enjoy.

What effects does chocolate have on you?

A Magazine story on Sunday explored the curious fact that countries where chocolate-consumption is high tend to produce more Nobel Prize winners. Readers supplied possible explanations for the link - here is a selection.

Michael Johnson, Manchester As an inventor myself, I find my most creative ideas come out when I have some time to myself, either relaxing or pacing up an down pondering about something. As chocolate is not a necessity product but rather more of a luxury product you might eat for enjoyment. It may be that people who have more time to relax and ponder, rather than worry about work or necessity of life... are most creative.

Liz Pearce, Cardiff I had my IQ measured by Mensa a few years ago and it came out at 159 which is apparently in the top 1% of the population. I am also well known for my chocolate addiction and once ate 23 Cadbury Creme Eggs at one sitting. (I felt a bit sick afterwards though.

Does chocolate make you clever?

It might not surprise you that Switzerland came top of the chocolate-fuelled league of intelligence, having both the highest chocolate consumption per head and also the highest number of Nobel laureates.
Sweden, however, was an anomaly. It had a very high number of Nobel laureates but its people consumed much less chocolate on average.

Apostolos Papoutsis, Athens, Greece Eating chocolate when hungry is definitely a sign of superior intelligence. To start with, it saves hours in preparation and washing up, not to mention the time it takes to consume the food. The quality and taste of the former is always guaranteed, while the latter entails a great degree of luck. As well, as far as we know, Earth is the only planet blessed with both chocolate and intelligence beings. How is this for correlation?

Ken Yoshikawa, Portland, Oregon What if people who eat more chocolate have more leisure time, and leisure time is the variable that must be focused upon?

Ayub Ayub, Amman, Jordan Chocolate is full of minerals, is a stimulant, and is expensive. People who eat it, especially from an early age, will develop better brains, be more alert/sharp minded, and because they come from richer countries will have better education, a richer environment and more stable/easy life (they can ponder more), and will have more resources hence making them better achievers.

George Chilton, Salisbury, UK Chocolate is consumed in greater quantities in colder climates as it's a comfort food, and doesn't melt quite as much. Looking at the countries in the chart, we can see that they are highly affluent, and Northern. The combination of cold weather and money means people sit and work, rather than sit on the beach. Who wants to use their brain when it's 35 degrees [C] outside? I currently live in Spain. There aren't many Nobel prizes being won here, it's mostly because we're all at the beach, not because we're not eating enough chocolate.

Andrea Valdes Veracruz, Mexico You must consider that the Mayas, who probably domesticated cacao, used to drink a lot of chocolate and they were capable of amazing discoveries in astronomy. Was chocolate the reason for their intelligence?

James Winters, Edinburgh Me and my co-author, Sean Roberts, actually submitted a response to this paper that showed a correlation between the number of serial and rampage killers. In short, you can make the argument that there are positive and negative benefits to higher consumption of chocolate. Or, more seriously, the central point is that you shouldn't take these cross-cultural correlations too seriously. 

Johanna, California, USA Chocolate (for the most part, pure dark) makes me feel good. When I have an exam to study for, or ideas to come up with for a creative project, or the need to feel relaxed in an upcoming challenge, chocolate ALWAYS helps. Chocolate differs from other foods eaten at these times, because I don't feel slowed down by digestion and I don't feel tired or sleepy; rather I feel invigorated and, most importantly, inspired. This doesn't prove that chocolate is responsible for my successes, or others' successes. But it might mean that certain people - those who have a predilection and a taste for it - may ''need'' what chocolate offers biochemically (for improved emotional, physical and/or mental state) and consequently function better with it. I know I do.

Marta Sandberg, Bridgetown, Australia I don't care if this is true or not - I will use it as an excuse anyway.

William, Halifax, Canada If you look closely at the flags on the graph you will see that it makes the outline of Cornwall, UK. This Cornish connection ought to be pursued - and can I have a Nobel Prize now?

Brian Makin, Bassersdorf, Switzerland The explanation is obvious. The Swiss make the best chocolate!

What is she talking about? (with a little bit of help)

What is she talking about?

Here's something funny for a change. I want you to listen to this eight-year-old girl from Dublin and tell me what she is talking about. After a few days, I'll provide more information... She's got an Irish accent, but it's not difficult to understand.

What would it be like for you to live in a society like Anusha's?

A couple arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of killing their 15-year-old daughter with acid say they carried out the attack because she looked at a boy.

The girl's father told the BBC that they feared she would bring dishonour on their family. Her mother said it was her "destiny" to die that way.

The couple were arrested in Pakistani-administered Kashmir last week.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 943 women were killed in honour killings last year.

That represented an increase of more than 100 from 2010.

Police say that the incident took place in a remote village in the southern district of Kotli. They say that the case was brought to their attention by the couple's eldest daughter.

The girl, known only as Anusha, was found to have burns over 60% of her body. Her father Muhammad Zafar told the BBC what happened:

"There was a boy who came by on a motorcycle. She (Anusha) turned to look at him twice. I told her before not to do that, it's wrong. People talk about us because our older daughter was the same way," he said.

Her mother Zaheen described the aftermath: "She said 'I didn't do it on purpose. I won't look again.' By then I had already thrown the acid. It was her destiny to die this way."

Anusha's father is reported to have taken his daughter inside, beaten her and then acid was poured over her with the help of his wife. Officials say that the couple did not take their daughter to hospital until the following morning.

The couple say that an older daughter had already disgraced the family and they did not want to be dishonoured again.

Police say this is one of the first cases of its kind in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where such killings are relatively rare.

In March the government of Pakistani-administered Kashmir made acid attacks a criminal offence punishable with life imprisonment.

I wish I could...

Some people fight for their dreams. Felix Baumgartner made his dream come true on October, 14th, 2012  but he's been working hard for twelve years! Finish this sentence:

I wish I could...

What do you like about the autumn?

I like the colours of the autumn: orange, light brown,... the leaves falling from the trees...

Ok, here's a song...

You keep asking for a song. Here you are!!! I hope you like it. But you have to do something with it, not just enjoy, I'm afraid...
Look for:
- a verb + preposition
- a phrasal verb
- a verb + object + infinitive
- an example of an expression we have recently revised (UofE)
- a regular verb in the past pronounced /id/
- a regular verb in the past pronounced /d/
- a regular verb in the past pronounced /t/

Back to school!

Dear students,
we're back! It's been two months and a bit since we last met. A new course, new teachers and new subjects for some of you. In a few months you'll be leaving again, this time for good. Only those who work hard will succeed...

And our blog is back too. I hope that you will use it well and often, don't let me down...
In our first post this course I want you to remember the best things that happened to you last summer and also, tell me what your expectations are for the new academic year.
I'm looking forward to reading your comments.
The teacher

Happy summer holiday!

Dear students,
the course is over! We've worked really hard and now it's time to relax. Where are you going this summer? Are you going to the beach? Are you doing anything special? Enjoy yourselves a lot and relax as much as you can. Remember to watch TV in English a little bit every day. See you in September!

The teacher said,

"Do your homework now and don't complain about the exam tomorrow". =)

At the hairdresser's

Last week I went to a wedding and I had my hair done very nicely. Do you ever have something done?

If you could choose...

...where would you go on holiday next summer? Have a look at these pictures, choose seaside or mountain. And say why you choose one place or the other.

Hungry for change

Ok, here's something new for you to see and talk about. Please, watch it carefully and tell me about it.

London school trip 2012

We've just come back from a really exciting trip to London. We had lots of fun, spoke English all day long and walked every single street and tube station in the city. Now we are tired but happy, it has been 5 busy days, non-stop. We've visited the Natural History Museum, the Tate Modern, the British Museum, the Museum of London and the National Gallery; we went to Buckingham Palace, Green Park and St James's Park, Trafalgar Square, Westminster and St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge; shopped till we dropped at Camden market, Piccadilly Circus and Notting Hill. We even had time to go as far as Arsenal Football Stadium and Harrod's. Some of us went up on the London Eye...
I wish I could have taken all my 1st of Bachillerato students with me but it was not possible. They would have enjoyed themselves so much. Now I hope the 11 students that actually came tell us everything they can about this trip. I'd love to read all their comments and anecdotes about the airport, the planes, the families, the food... so many things to talk about...
By the way, they behaved REALLY well, they were an adorable group and I will always remember this trip. Thanks a lot to Alberto, Angel Miguel, Antonio, Aitor, Esther, Gonzalo, Laura, Marta, Pablo, Sandra and Sara.

Love,

the teacher

English is difficult for iPhone too!!!

Well, it seems you are not the only one who thinks English is difficult to understand...

How would you feel if this happened to you?

Adele

Hello students,
we haven't written for a long time. You've been busy, I've been busy. I know that most of you like this singer, Adele. She is very young and she is from London. She has conquered the world with her wonderful voice. What do you know about her? Which is your favourite song? I like Someone like you, it's a bit sad, but I get goosepimples when I hear it!

Recipes

This is the recipe of a delicious dessert: pancakes. Why don't you try making pancakes at home? If you want to know more about pancakes, click here.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Now I want you to post your favourite recipes. Try with migas...
This post is dedicated to Esther.

Rituals

This is a haka. Have you ever seen this ritual before? Do you know who performs it? Why? When?

I will be 17 on...

When will you be 17? I want to know your birthdays. Remember to use "on" for dates and ordinal numbers. Do you know your star sign?

I can tell you I won't be 17 next week...

Happy 2012!!

Hello everyone,
we have started a new year: 2012 (two thousand and twelve or twenty twelve, both are correct). Many people think the beginning of the year is the perfect moment to stop smoking, to lose weight or to start learning a new language. These are known as New Year's Resolutions. Is there anything you have decided to take up from January 1st? Maybe you would like to go to the gym more often, or to watch a film in English from time to time :-)
I'm really nosy and I'd love to know...

It's Christmas time!!

Dear students,
we still have a few days left and a few more exams to sit... but in less than a week it will be Christmas! For me, it means time to spend with my family and to relax after so much work in December... How about you? What does Christmas mean to you? What is traditional in your house? Do you get many presents for Christmas? There's a new film released specially for this time of the year. Watch the trailer and tell me what it is about.
By the way, Merry Christmas!!

A piece of advice...

I know you are very busy these days. Remember that nothing comes for free. Good marks mean hard work, getting up early or staying up till late, not much hanging out with friends, no TV or internet!! If you want to enjoy your Christmas holidays doing very little, study now. It'll be worth it!

Another one!!

Can you recognise this place? Have you ever been here? Well, you know you need some practice in describing landscapes... this is quite different from the last one, isn't it? Good luck!

What a beautiful landscape!

Can you describe this photo? Click on it to see it bigger.

The talk

I know you're really busy these days, but here's another short video for you to watch. It's just two minutes long and easy to understand (at least easier than the Jamie Oliver's one :-)
Tell me what it is about... By the way, do you know who the man is?

Meet Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a well-known English chef. He's famous for his television shows, cookbooks and, more recently, his campaign to improve unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits in the United Kingdom and the United States. To be honest, this is really difficult to understand, so you'll need to listen to it many times. Jamie's a real challenge for you, you need to get used to the way he speaks because he speaks very quickly. I want you to write down at least 15 words he says and how old he is. Good luck!

Purpose

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Vampires

I know that some of you have read The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Most of you have seen the films. What do you think about the story? Is it believable? Does it matter? Is it for girls only? What is there that makes it so exciting that you can't stop reading? Why are there so many fans around the world?
This is the link to the Breaking Dawn official trailer.

Creative writing

I want you to write a story. Each student is allowed to write only one sentence a day. It can be a fairy tale, a horror story, a romantic one... It all depends on you!
The beginning is this:

Once upon a time...

Improve your vocabulary

This is a useful webpage. It is a photo dictionary with short definitions. Have a look at it: photographicdictionary.com

APPLE

Scientific name:

malus domestica

The apple is the fruit of the apple tree. Apple trees are small deciduous trees growing to around 5-12 metres high. Apples may be red, yellow or green. You can eat all of the apple except the core in the middle, which is full of seeds.

Checking in

Fawlty Towers was a very popular British sitcom during the 1970s. The series is set in a hotel called Fawlty Towers, run by Basil Fawlty, the hotel manager/owner. Most funny situations happen due to communication problems with Manuel, the hotel waiter. He is Spanish and his English is not very good. In this episode, we listen to the hotel receptionist saying where Manuel is from. Can you tell me the name of the city? How would you describe the behaviour of Mrs Richards?

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Who do we call when the projector doesn't work? Juan Pablo. He's our IT technical support man. There's a British TV series called The IT Crowd. It's based on the IT (the abbreviation for Information Technology) support team in a company. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" is the first thing they say whenever someone asks for help. It has become a catchphrase, just like in Spanish. The boy in the video is Irish. Can you notice anything different in his accent? The girl speaks standard British English.

Longboarding freeride

Talking about travel, have a look at this and tell me what you think. Is it a sport or a way of travel? What equipment do you need? How far can you go? Can you take luggage with you? Is it environmentally friendly? How do you think it feels? Have you ever tried it? If not, would you like to try?

Travel

Some of you liked the videos we watched related to travel. They are very interesting although no one speaks English, or rather, no one speaks!! But we got some good ideas in class and we talked about them. We see the kind of activities we can do when we are travelling, the kind of food we can taste and the kind of things we can learn.
You can watch them as many times as you want and I'd love to read what you think about them.
By the way, the boy is Australian, not American...

Click here to watch MOVE
Click here to watch EAT
Click here to watch LEARN

It's Halloween time

Dear students,
I know you're really busy this week because you have an English test (among other things), and we're not working much on the blog. But you know it will be Halloween next week and I think we should talk about it. We didn't use to celebrate Halloween in Spain, but we do it more and more. People dress up and wear costumes, empty pumpkins, decorate their houses... and have parties!!
So tell me if you are doing anything special for Halloween this year. Are you going to dress up? Are you going to go trick or treat? Or are you just going to hang out with your friends?
In the meantime, watch this video from my favourite TV series of all times, Friends. I hope you enjoy it!

Don't you love this song?

I first noticed this advertisement (BrEnglish)/commercial (USEnglish) because of the song. I thought it was a beautiful song and it caught my attention. What do you think? Do you like it? Do you know who is singing?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHgQV1oDPOQ

Autumn

The autumn is about to arrive. We’ll have to get used to shorter days, colder evenings, leaves falling from trees… We’ll soon get used to wearing coats, boots, scarves and gloves.

Now we are used to wearing t-shirts, even shorts! And it’s October 17^th. It’s unbelievable! Get your warm clothes ready because you will need them…

Talking about the past

Last weekend, I did lots of things. On Friday afternoon I went for a walk with my family. Later, we had pizza for dinner.

On Saturday morning, I woke up later than usual. While I was having breakfast, I watched the news. After that, I went shopping with my children. We had a nice day together. We went to the park, we met some friends and baked a chocolate cake. We went to bed quite early because we were very tired.

On Sunday morning, we had our chocolate cake for breakfast. It was delicious! Then we had lunch with friends and spent the afternoon with them. In the evening, we got everything ready for the next day, a school day.

How was your weekend?

Peppa Pig

Let me introduce you to Peppa Pig. Do you know her? You will understand absolutely everything. It's standard British English and made for little children, so try to watch this short episode and then tell me what you think. Click here to watch.

The things I love

I love waking up on Saturday morning, knowing I can stay in bed a bit longer. I love having breakfast: a hot croissant and a cup of coffee. Yummy!
I love going for long walks with my family.
I love reading a good book.
I love watching a good film.
There must be lots of things you love doING...

Children's games

When I was a child, I used to play a lot in the streets with my friends; we especially enjoyed hide-and-seek. We didn't use to play computer games, because no-one had a computer those days. What did you use to do and didn't use to do when you were a child?

I feel like...

I know you loved this song, or at least you all agreed that more often than not you don't feel like doing anything. Listen to Bruno Mars and think of all the activities you feel like doing... for example:
I feel like hanging out with my friends on Saturday evenings

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLexgOxsZu0&ob=av2e

Where am I?

Have a look at this photograph. Where do you think I am?

Welcome to my blog!

Dear students,
welcome to my blog. I hope this is a place where we can share information, talk about interesting topics, say what we like and what we don't...
I'm not very good at computers, but I would like to improve. That's why I have started this blog, as a challenge. You know I always tell you to watch TV in English or listen to music in English. That will be your challenge for this term.
Try to change the audio in your TV set and tell me how you are doing. Is it difficult? Boring? Exciting?
I would like to read your opinions. Good luck!