LOVE ACTUALLY

This is the film we are going to show at CEPA Joaquín Sorolla this week (Monday at 18:45, Thursday at 11:00). It is a British romantic comedy filmed in 2003. The story takes place in London at Christmas time and there are several love stories whose characters are interconnected.
This is one of my favourite scenes in the film:

 And this is one of my favourite Christmas song which is also sung in the film:

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas
Is you
I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
And I don't care about the presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas Day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
You baby
Oh I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
And I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeer click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do?
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
You
Oh all the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's
Laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need?
Won't you please bring my baby to me?
Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is
You baby
All I want for Christmas is you baby
All I want for Christmas is you baby
All I want for Christmas is you baby
 

MY FRIENDS: LOS INFINITOS

I'm a lucky person. I still see and share great moments with MY FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL, MY FRIENDS FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD. Life comes and goes but I'm proud to see that THEY are always there: Gema, Olga, Yoli, Angeles, María, Dani, Rosa and Trini (and their families!). Whenever I'm with them I feel as if I was: "Walking on sunshine" : )
We had a wonderful time gossiping & dancing  last night!

Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves

IRELAND: A LOVE STORY

I first went to Ireland in July 1989. I was studying English Philology and I arranged a trip with some friends from University to practice the language. We stayed with families and I was definitely the luckiest of all since I became the guests of THE H, who happened to be THE BEST FAMILY IN IRELAND. They treated me as a member of the family since the beginning and I felt delighted. My friends & I made trips around Dublin area where we discovered places full of  magic.

We returned the following Summer, 1990, and we met Ian, Garreth and Ronan, who treated us as if we were princesses (Didn't they, Elvira) and showed us the night life in Dublin. My friend María joined us in the following expedition in Summer 1991. I was already the Hendersons's adopted daughter and I'll always be. Since then I have visited them as a family member as well as they have visited me and we have shared very important moments in our lives. This was the longest gap in my visits, more than 5 years and I really needed to go and see them. I hace been to Dublin at La Almudena long weekend. It has been one of those experiences one can never forget. I just wanted a "kitchen therepy" and I brought back with me LOTS OF TRUE LOVE. the biggest piece of my heart is there, definitely. Thanks so much. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Powerscourt Gardens, The Hendersons 25 wedding anniversary, Malahide Castle, July 1991

Killiney Hill, County Cork, July 1995



Slieve League Cliffs, Adare, March 2002

Half Penny Bridge (Dublin), Jerpoint Abbey, January 2004

St. Stephen Green, Dublin's Zoo, Ciara's, May 2007

ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW OF THE SPANISH CRISIS

This is a video which is publicity of a Spanish company but the ad is very original and it's in English. It can be a good LISTENING ACTIVITY. You can read the subtitles if you need it. It is also a positive view of our country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUFMxmIoFRc&feature=youtu.be

GUY FAWKES NIGHT

Tomorrow is GUY FAWKES NIGHT. It's a festival celebrated in Britain. It's also called BONFIRE NIGHT, CRACKER NIGHT AND FIREWORKS NIGHT. As you can imagine, there are bonfires and fireworks in many places. This festival commemorates the failure of the GUNPOWDER PLOT. In 1605 a group of Catholics tried to blow up Westminster Palace and kill King James I. Guy Fawkes was of of those men. Nowadays people make cloth "Guys" and burn them in the bonfires. Children also carry "Guys" with them and go out asking for "a penny for the Guy". They also say this rhyme:

"Remember remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder Treason &Plot
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot"

HEAVEN BY BRYAN ADAMS

This song is for Sergio, my aerobics teacher, and all the girls who sweat, suffer and laugh with me at the class. This is te original song instead of the disco version we have danced this evening. : )

HEAVEN BY BRYAN ADAMS

Oh, thinkin' about all our younger years
there was only you and me
we were young and wild and free
now nothin' can take you away from me
we've been down that road before
but that's over now
you keep me comin' back for more
Chorus:
baby you're all that i want
when you're lyin' here in my arms
i'm findin' it hard to believe
we're in heaven
and love is all that i need
and i found it there in your heart
it isn't too hard to see
we're in heaven
Oh, once in your life you find someone
who will turn your world around
bring you up when you're feelin' down
yeah, nothin' could change what you mean to me
oh, there's lots that i could say
but just hold me now
'cause our love will light the way
Chorus
I've been waitin' for so long
for somethin' to arrive
for love to come along
now our dreams are comin' true
through the good times and the bad
yeah, i'll be standin' there by you
Chorus

ESCUELA DE ARTE KROOM

I am a lucky person. I have many good friends who are also very interesting people. I met Yolanda (Yoli) at school. We were sitting together in Secondary and we were a good team. I liked writing and she liked drawing and painting. Now, I'm probably a frustrated writer and she is a succesful sculptress.She has taken part in important art exhibitions in Spain & The US. She is a businesswoman. She has her own school of art where there are classes of sculpture, painting and some other artistic techniques. Now that my ex conversation students are out of our school, I thought that maybe some of you would be interested in learning something else. You can just have a look at her web-page & blog. Just looking is worthwhile. You'll love her work:

https://estudiodeartekroom.blogspot.com
www.estudiodeartekroom.com

VOCABULARY RELATED TO WEDDINGS

In The British Isles WEDDINGS are a bit different from weddings in Spain. Before that especial day, a couple get ENGAGED so they become FIANCE  (the boy) & FIANCEE (the girl). Before the wedding, boys go out one night called STAG NIGHT  and girls do the same on a HEN NIGHT. On the  WEDDING DAY the protagonists of the celebration are called the BRIDE (The girl) & the GROOM (the boy). The BEST MAN is the equivalent of our "padrino" but he is usually a young man who is the groom's best friend or brother. There is no "madrina" but BRIDE'S MAIDS who dress exactly the same and they are friends or relatives of the Bride. The most important moment after the CEREMONY & at the end of the RECEPTION is THE SPEECHES: The GROOM, THE BEST MAN & other special guests speak funnily or seriously about the BRIDE & the GROOM and their relation. After the wedding, the MARRIED COUPLE make a trip called the HONEY MOON.  I've been to two weddings in Ireland. They were very special. We danced "Macarena" during the BALL "in my honour" (for being Spanish). Well, I would have preferred "La chica de ayer" or "Escuela de calor"... Anyway, I had a fantastic time in both. Irish people & Spanish people love "fiestas" or celebrations in the same way.

There are several links with vocabulary related to weddings. Here are some examples:
http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/marriage-and-wedding-vocabulary/
http://www.learnamericanenglishonline.com/images/Vocabulary%20Images/Wedding/Wedding_Vocabulary.html
There are also films which reflect how weddinds are like: Four weddings and a funeral, My best friend's wedding: This scene is unforgetable:  Rupert Everett sings I'll say a little prayer for you:

LA VIDA ES SUEÑO

I have seen some ads in the underground about a new performance of La vida es sueño by Don Pedro Calderón de la Barca, God, what a play!!! I love Segismundo's story since the first time I read the play. I've seen several performances and it's impossible to forget Pedro Mari Sánchez playing one of the most important roles in Literature. I have had a look at the text today and the story is never outdated. That's what makes it universal. We learn that we can change our destiny, that we mustn't judge anybody without knowing the reasons and we learn that education is essential for the development of human beings.

When Segismundo says that life is a dream there is a deep thought behind. Sometimes, when we don't believe what is going on, we  escape from that pain thinking for a short time that it is a dream, a bad dream, a nightmare. La vida es sueño is a perfect story to describe our present society. Now, let me quote those wonderful words:

"Sueña el rico en su riqueza,
que más cuidados le ofrece;
sueña el pobre que padece
su miseria y su pobreza;
sueña el que a medrar empieza,
sueña el que afana y pretende,
sueña el que agravia y ofende,
y en el mundo, en conclusión,
todos sueñan lo que son,
aunque ninguno lo entiende.
Yo sueño que estoy aquí
destas prisiones cargado,
y soñé que en otro estado
más lisonjero, me vi.
¿Qué es la vida?, un frenesí;
¿Qué es la vida?, una ilusión,
una sombra, una ficción.
y el mayor bien es pequeño;
que toda la vida es sueño,
y los sueños, sueños son."

I don't know why but when I think about the famous dialogue of poor Segismundo, I always think about Macbeth's honest definition of life:
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his our upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing"

Perhaps Calderón and Shakespeare are not so far: Is life a dream? Is it fiction? Is it theatre? Is it a tale told by an idiot with no sense? I think that these quotations are very appropiate nowadays, unfortunately. And I think that Literature is a need in every culture. There is much to learn from Literature. Thanks, Don Pedro. Thanks Master Shakerpeare.

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!

Hi, sorry for being out of order for some time. I have lots of work organizing the beginning of the academic year. Well, we are back to school. I will publish posts for my ex-students and new students. Many of you won't have English classes at CEPA Joaquín Sorolla but we will be able to open some groups at the end of September. There is even a possibility to have classes for higher levels in a different way so, be in touch, please.

We are all living hard times. Probably  the only good news around is that ALBERTO CONTADOR  won La Vuelta a España and recuperated his deserved throne but we must be positive and keep on trying new experiences. Welcome to course 2012-2013. You know where I am whenever you need anything and I hope to be the teacher of some of you this course again, hopefully. Anyway I will continue publishing posts for my ex-students as well. THANK YOU ALL FOR FOLLOWING ME SO OFTEN. You give me energy and good will to work. : ) Thanks, thanks, thanks......

Let's start now with a funny lesson of phonetics. My children are teaching me a lot of amusing things in English.  This is the song I LIke to Eat Apples & Bananas. Here you can practise the horrible diphthongs in English. I hope you enjoy it. If you try to sing it and your tongue doesn't twist, that means that you English is fluent. Good luck:

BRAVE

I saw the film Brave the other day. Disney is always amazing, really. In the film you can see a nice portrait of the landscape, customs & magic of Scotland, one of the best places in the world. The music is fantastic. Celtic tunes with pipes, fiddles, lutes and other instruments. There is an example here: Learn me Right (Birdy & The Mumford & Sons)

TEACHERS

These are hard times for our profession. I've been a teacher in our public Educative System since 1996. I have worked in almost 20 high schools in the region. I have lived experiences of all kinds & I have learnt a lot of my students & my workmates. I'm very proud of many teachers I've worked with. They have helped me to LOVE this job & believe me, teachers are not only people that "work 20 hours a week" & "have 2 months holidays". Many teachers are psychologists, confessors, clowns, police-officers, judges, parents, detectives, nurses, actors & guides apart from giving lessons about their especiality (which have studied for 5 years & have passed a hard competitive exam among thousands of candidates).

I can't mention here all the people who have tought me to teach & live teaching but here are some of them: The 1st time I worked in El Sorolla in 2000 I met excellent professionals: Dori, Delicia, Carmen. This year I had the honour to work with Marian, Lucía, Lola, Rocío, Mar & Patxi. In El Jovellanos Olivia & Gema de Jaén made me forget my worst students ever. I worked in El Palomeras for 4 years where I shared good & bad moments with Amalia, David, Pierre, Esther, Susana M. & José Alberto, my twin soul in teaching (& travelling!). Last year I suffered Chinchón with Mª José putting together her sense of humour & my experience to survive. I had very interesting talks about education & life with Fabián (who risked to travel in my car!!), Enrique & Raúl (who risked to take me in theirs!). I also have neighbour teachers, Gema & Óscar, with whom I have spent several evenings solving the problems of our educative system in our pool.

We are TEACHERS. We wear a green T-shirt sometimes because we believe in our work & we WORK FOR OUR STUDENTS & we want to get the best of them. That's our only fault.

Whenever I feel down about the sense of my work, I think about this poem by Celaya, which is more than a therapy for me: Educar... This is for all of you & others. "May the Force be with you".

EDUCAR
Educar es lo mismo
que poner motor a una barca…
hay que medir, pesar, equilibrar…
… y poner todo en marcha.
Para eso,
uno tiene que llevar en el alma
un poco de marino…
un poco de pirata…
un poco de poeta…
y un kilo y medio de paciencia
concentrada.
Pero es consolador soñar
mientras uno trabaja,
que ese barco, ese niño
irá muy lejos por el agua.
Soñar que ese navío
llevará nuestra carga de palabras
hacia puertos distantes,
hacia islas lejanas.
Soñar que cuando un día
esté durmiendo nuestra propia barca,
en barcos nuevos seguirá
nuestra bandera
enarbolada.
Gabriel Celaya

THE END OF " AULAS ABIERTAS"

Unfortunately our rulers don't think that the permanent learning through life is a valuable thing. The CEPA "Joaquín Sorolla" in Madrid has been offering English and Computer Technology classes for many years giving the opportunity to learn to hundreds of students who have been hard working and very motivated people. Teaching them has been a real pleasure. The instructions for next course leave these classes apart. We have done our best to convince the authorities of the importance of these classes but there is no money for education in our country now. We are very very sad about it. Adult education will never be the same.

This is part of the group of "English Level 1". We had great expectations for the next course but we won't probably be a group any more. Anyway we'll keep on trying. We won't give up. I promise.

ELVIRA'S PATCHWORK T-SHIRTS

These are the patchwork T-shirts Elvira has made for Lucy. She is now in Qatar & I send her my regards. : )

Thanks, Elvira, they are absolutely beautiful

MIKE DELFINO: Mr. Right

This is Mike Delfino (James Denton). He is the perfect husband and neighbour in Desperate Wives. Unfortunately the scripters of the series decided to KILL HIM!! It is such a pity. How can they kill the perfect man? He is perfect because he is a fiction man otherwise he wouldn't probably be Mr. Right...

CULTURAL WEEK CEPA JOAQUIN SOROLLA

Here is the video of our cultural week at last. Some activities have been omited but it gets the spirit which inspired our Grundtvig Project: "Integration thruogh art and culture". You can see some people you know. Enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qanwP7bN1Jo

BLADE RUNNER ENDING SCENE

I heard the other day that Blade Runner ( by Ridley Scott) was filmed and screened for the first time 30 years ago (in 1982). The end of this film is my favourite end together with that of the film Smoke scripted by Paul Auster. The last scene is a deep thought about life and living experiences, about moments that remain and moments that are forgotten. This is one of my obsessions ever: TO REMEMBER!

Both actors, Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, are fantastic.

The film presents the city of Los Angeles in 2019. Life is weird there but you learn that humans and replicants have the same worries than ever: LIFE & DEATH and how we face them. It is a magnificent film.

Please: Watch films in English if possible. The real voice of the actors is very important to understand a film deeply.

THE END OF THE COURSE

This is a song for ALL MY STUDENTS at CEPA Joaquín Sorolla 2011-2012

• SECONDARY IIA: Juanjo, David, Delia, Fabricio, Bruno... Good luck with your studies & work. Thanks for leaving me 5 minutes for coffee before the classes.
• CONVERSATION GROUP: Wonderful 18 ladies and 2 gentlemen. Time used to fly in your class. I owe you the scones. I'll write the recipe at least when I have some time. Sorry to leave you so soon.
• ENGLISH LEVEL 1 (morning): You are fantastic students and your English improves day by day. You were also a very varied but unified group. Congratulations. Leoncio, you will get well soon. We'll be all waiting for you.
• ACCESO: Well, I've already told you how happy you made me on those winter evenings. You passed your exam and I'm proud of you.

Meeting you all and teaching you has been a pleasure. It's always hard for me to say good bye. That's why I always think about a song at the end of the academic year which gives me ENERGY to continue loving my work:

I WILL SURVIVE ( by Gloria Gaynor)
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!!

ELVIRA'S CUPCAKES

Elvira's cupcakes

Elvira is one of those people who everybody should have as a friend. She is the opposite of me: patient, relaxed, meticulous. And she is also the most elegant person I have ever met. I mean the elegance that is inside some people and that appears in everything they do. She's lived in Ireland for a long time, where we shared unforgetable experiences. In The British Isles the decoration of every single thing is essential even if the flavour is awful.

Elvira invited me to her home last Sunday and she had made these delicious CUPCAKES decorated with lovely eatable little things bought even in Germany! I was really impressed (and my children devored them). Next step: I'll get the recipe and share with my conversation students.

Everybody should have an Elvira in their lives.  THANKS for being my friend for 20 years.

SONG FOR MY EX-ACCESO STUDENTS

Hi boys. Congratulations for passing your exam. You are free now to study what you want. GOOD LUCK & THANKS for doing my Friday evenings so enjoyable & thanks for taking me to that pub with muic from the 80s. It was a nice end of the course and a nice beginning of  something.
Kike, Pepe, Víctor, Jaime...for you
Love is in the air:

THE PHILOLOGISTS: 20th ANNIVERSARY

Twenty years ago, just at this time of the year, we picked up the "papeletas" and got our degree. We are still good friends and we celebrated this special anniversary with wine and more... These are my beloved philologists: Elvira, the queen of patchwork, Rudolph & Susi, the late-sleepers, Cris, the politician and cello player, Mari Carmen & Santi, the owners of the most beautiful house in Toledo and in the world, Luis, the god-father and myself, the non-sitting lizard's tail. You were the best subject, the ones who taught me more things. I love you. (Martínez: see you soon at your school, hopefully!)

HENRY VIII AND HIS SIX WIVES

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
We have read the book; Henry VIII and his Six Wives by Oxford University Press.
I suggest you some activities to do to work more deeply with the text.
This is the link to get more information about the book and resources to exploit the book. You can have a look at it.
http://elt.oup.com/catalogue/items/global/graded_readers/oxford_bookworms_library/stage_2/9780194790628?cc=global&selLanguage=en

Here you have a fantastic link with photos of all the characters, a text about them and a video. It is very intering to get into the context of the story
http://talesofcuriosity.com/v/HenrysWives/

ROXANNE BY GEORGE MICHAEL

This song is for ROSANA MARTÍN LOZANO wherever she is. Nobody can  believe it. It was her birthday on April 17th and she left us on the 20th. She was 27. She got a 9,5 in the competitive exams. She was the newest teacher at CEPA Joaquín Sorolla. She brought us fresh air, lots of energy and willing. She participated in everything at school and helped everybody.  Her students loved her so much. When I close my eyes, I see her smiling. We miss her and we only had met her two months ago. I can imagine how much her family, boyfriend and friends miss her. I don't know which was her favourite song but for me this song will remind me of her all my life. We'll never ever forget ROSANA.

POSTMAN PAT

Activity for children and all the students
Listen to the song of Postman Pat and see the lovely lanscapes of the English countryside. After that listen again and  read the lyrics. Notice the use of Present Simple and Present Countinuous:

Postman Pat, Postman Pat,

Postman Pat and his black and white cat,
Early in the morning, Just as day is dawning,
He picks up all the post bags in his van.

Postman Pat, Postman Pat,
Postman Pat and his black and white cat,
All the birds are singing, and the day is just beginning.
Pat feels he's a really happy man.

Everybody knows his bright red van,
All his friends will smile as he waves to greet them,
Maybe... You can never be sure,
There'll be knock...[knock knock] Ring [ring ring]
Letters through your door.

Postman Pat, Postman Pat,
Postman Pat and his black and white cat,
All the birds are singing, and the day is just beginning.
Pat feels he's a really happy man.

Pat feels he's a really happy man.
Pat feels he's a really happy man.

You can see episodes of Postman Pat on the Internet. They are 15 minutes long. The language is easy and there are realistic situations of life in the British countryside. You will love it.

EASTER

On this page you can find lots of activities related to Easter for different levels, even videos. It is very complete. I recommend it to all the students.
http://www.esolcourses.com/topics/easter.html

And Happy Easter!!!!

HAPPY EASTER

ACTIVITY FOR ALL THE STUDENTS (even children)
There are some word-squares in this link to do at Easter.
They are fun and you can review or learn vocabulary related to Easter
http://www.mes-english.com/flashcards/files/easter_wordsearch.pdf

SONG: ANGELS BY ROBBIE WILLIAMS

This song is for LUCÍA, my little angel.

PROYECTO: 8. THOSE WERE THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP

You have worked very hard so far. You need a happy end. Listen to the song "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams.Try to understand the story. There are key words at the end of it. You can ask me any questios about it in class. Then write a composition about "The best days of your life" or just "A happy moment of your life". Give it to me in class and I'll mark them all. You have done a great job in this project. Thanks for beeing so enthusiastic and helpful. I guess we have learnt something together.

http://www.educa2.madrid.org/cms_tools/files/4871a0de-04d4-43b2-94c7-8269501fab62/b%20adams/summer%20of%2069.mp3

(Depués de pinchar en el enlace, minimizar y así escucháis la canción y véis la letra)

SUMMER OF 69

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it till my fingers bled
Was the summer of '69

Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit, Jody got married
Shoulda known, we'd never get far

Oh when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always want to be there
Those were the best days of my life

Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life

Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Ohhh

Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever, forever, no

And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
Think about you wonder what went wrong

Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life

Oh yeah
Back in the summer of '69
Un-huh
It was the summer of '69, oh yeah
Me and my baby in '69, oh

KEY WORDS
- six-string: guitar
- five-and-dime: shops in America where things are sold from 5 dollars to 10 cents.
- quit: stop
- shoulda known: we should have known
- ain't: there isn't
- complainin': complaining, expressing dissatisfaction
- drive-in: In The United States, cinemas or restaurants you go by car and stay in the car.
- unwind: relax
- nothin': nothing

PROYECTO: 7. MADRID BEFORE AND NOW

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP

Describing a place before and now

Look at these photos of La Gran Vía in Madrid. How many differences can you find?

Think about it and we will speak about it in class.

This will be the starting point of a discussion about how Madrid has changed in different aspects.

PROYECTO: 6. GLENDALOUGH AND CLONMACNOISE

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP

Describing a place before and now.

You are going to watch and listen to a video about Glendalough and Clonmacnoise, two medieval monasteries in Ireland. It deals with the history of these magnificent monuments. In the past the monks lived there. Now they are beautiful ruins visited by thousands of tourists. The background of both monasteries is impressive: green fields and mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers. Nature is all around. Enjoy the video and then answer to the following questions:

1. In which part of Ireland are the two monasteries located?
2. What is the most important element of their architecture?
3. Who was the founder of Glendalough?
4. What did the founder of Clonmacnoise see in a vision?
5. What is the meaning og Glendalough?
6. Did you like the monasteries and the settings? Why?
7. Why do artists usually go to these places?

PROYECTO: 5. THINGS AROUND US BEFORE AND NOW

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
Read this text and write the verbs in the correct tense. Then think about the topic and we'll have a discussion in class:

Things around us before and now

Our lives (1)  ________ (change) a lot during the last two decades. There (2) _____(be) so many things around us that have made our lives easier and maybe more stressing, too. When I (3) _______ (be) young and I was going to be late home I used to phone my mother from a telephone box using coins, some years later, phone cards and now...Where are the telephone boxes? Well, you can see some British ones behind this text. Everybody (4) ______ (have) a mobile phone nowadays.

Teaching (5) __________ (change) very much lately. Before we used to have books, notebooks and a blackboard. English teachers (6) ______ (take)  the tape recorder to the classes and got crazy to find the exact listening we (7) _______ (need). Now there are digital boards and computer laboratories in the schools. Readers books and text books (8) _____ (have) a CD for the students to listen at home. The Internet is a fantastic tool to do plenty of activities for the English classes. Well, this is a real example!

Now you don't even have to cook!. The miraculous Termomix (9) ______ (cook) for you! That's what I (10) _______ (hear). What would our grandmothers think about this?

PROYECTO: 4. A SONG: BEFORE AND NOW

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
Listen to the song: A Different Corner by George Michael. This is the video-clip of the 80s. 

Then, listen again and fill in the blanks of the lyrics of the song:

SONG: A DIFFERENT CORNER BY GEORGE MICHAEL

I'd say (1) ____ was a magical thing

I'd say (2) _____would keep us from pain

Had I been there, had I been there

I would promise you all of my (3) _____

But to lose you would (4) ____ like a knife

So I don't dare, no I don't dare

'Cause I've never come close in all of these (5) ______

You are the only one to (6) _____my tears

And I'm so scared, I'm so scared

Take me back in time maybe I can (7) ______

Turn a different corner

And we never would have met

Would you care?

I don't (8) ________ it, for you it's a breeze

Little by little you've brought me to my knees

Don't you care?

No I've never come close in all of these (9)

You are the only one to (10) ______ my tears

I'm so scared of this love

And if all that there is, is this fear of being used

I (11) _______go back to being lonely and confused

If I (12) ______, I would, I swear

I swear.

I was a fan of Wham and George Michael in the 80s. I am still his fan. I have been  to all his concerts in Madrid. The last one was last September. It was called Symphonica and he sang with an orchestra. He has changed a lot in many aspects in all these years but he stil has a wonderful voice.

SPEAKING ACTIVITY: Think about a famous person that you have always admired. Look for some information about him/her on the Internet if you want to. Write a short summary of his/her career. We'll talk about the past and the present of our idols in class.

PROYECTO: 3. THE PAST AND THE PRESENT OF A PERSON'S LIFE

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
Unit: "LIfe before and life now"
Look at these photos and read the text. Write all the verbs you see and say in which tenses they are in the next class. Then write a similar short biography of a person you love and give it to me in class.

Sergio was born on  March 22nd 2005 in Madrid. He has been a great traveler since he was a baby. He loves travelling. His frst trip abroad was in 2006. His parents took him to Wales and they saw farms and old steam trains. He learnt his first words in English: tractor, sheep, train... The next Summer he travelled to Italy and the family spent a week in a country house in Tuscany. He learnt his first words in Italian: Ciao, gelatto, buon giorno... That year his family moved to a new house in a new neighborhood where there are lots of parks and lots of children. He started school and made many friends. The next Summer, in 2008, Sergio and his family travelled to The Netherlands and he had a fantastic time travelling by tram and visiting Madurodam, a small town made of models. Then he stopped travelling for some time. Something important happened in his life on October 19th 2009: His sister, Lucía, was born. The family continued travelling abroad in Summer 2011. They went to England (Yorkshire and The Lake District) and they enjoyed a lot. They saw lots of animals both in farms and in the fields: sheep, cows, rabbits, geese, squirrels, ducks.

Sergio is in the first year of Primary school this year. He has had very good marks recently. He also takes football classes and his team is the first in the league. He is very happy these days because he is preparing his birthday party for next week. There are going to be games and surprises for him and his friends!

PROYECTO: 2. COMPARATIVE, SUPERLATIVE, TIME CONNECTORS

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
Unit: "Life before and life now"
You will have to compare places and things in this unit. You will also have to write and speak about people's life so the connectors of time will be useful, too.
Rememeber:

• Adjectives can have a comparative (-er...than, more...than) and a superlative form (the ...-est, the most...) depending on the number of syllables.
• Subordinate clauses of time can have different connectors: when, while, after, before, as soon as, as, as long as.

Complete these sentences with the correct comparative or superlative adjective or a connector of time.

1. My brother is _____ (tall) of my family.
2. The book The Name of the Rose is much ______ (good) than the film.
3. Madrid is ______(big) than Guadalajara.
4. He is the ______ (intelligent) person I have ever met.
5. _______ I entered the classroom, the students sat down and opened their books.
6. I had breakfast _____having a shower.
7. She was doing her homework ______ she was listening to music.
8. You can find ______ exercises on this link:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/alle_grammar.htm

PROYECTO: 1. VERB TENSES

ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
Unit: "Life before and life now"
The first thing we are going to do in this unit is to review verb tenses to express "life before (Past Simple, Past Continuous, used to, Past Perfect) and "life now" (Present Perfect, Present Simple, Present Continuous)
Fill in the blanks with the verb in the correct tense:

1.  I _____ (meet) my best friend yesterday.
2. When I _____ (be) a child, I _____ (play) football every day.
3. We ______ (live) in Madrid since 1999.
4. When she _____ (give) me the book as a present I _____ ( read already) some years before.
5. This year ______ (work) in the best adult school in Madrid.
6. I _____ (have) a shower when I ____ (hear) that terrible noise.

There are more exercises to practice in this link:
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

St Patrick's Day for children

Activities for kids: Marcos, Javier, Sergio, Lucía... related to St. Patric's Day (March 17th). He is the Saint Patron of Ireland.
 http://www.dltk-holidays.com/patrick/
Great link!

St. PATRICK'S DAY

This activity is for THE CONVERSATION GROUP

St Patrick is the Saint Patron of Ireland. The celebration takes place on the 17th of March

Watch this video and listen to it as many times as you need and answer to the following questions:





1. Who was St Patrick?
2. Why is this celebration so important in the United States?
3. How do people celebrate it now?
4. Why is this festival celebrated on March 17th?
5. Mention three ingredients of the typical meal on St Patrick's Day.

KEY WORDS (Look up these expressions in a dictionary and ask me in class any questions about the task) :
- Emerald Isle

- Kidnap

- Sheperd slave

- Vows as a priest

- Converting the Irish to Christianity

- Shamrock

- Holy Trinity

- Potato famine

- Parade

- Pints to toast

EXPLOTACIÓN DIDÁCTICA: El video se trabaja con mi grupo de Inglés de Conversación  de adultos para reforzar la comprensión auditiva a través de preguntas sobre el contenido del texto. Al mismo tiempo introducimos elementos de la cultura de un país de habla inglesa, Irlanda, ya que el tema del video es la historia y las costumbres de la fiesta nacional irlandesa. Una vez que los alumnos hayan realizado la tarea, ampliaremos contenidos y describiremos fiestas típicas de nuestro país ya que este grupo está enfocado a desarrollar y mejorar las destrezas orales.

GAMES FOR CHILDREN

FUN GAMES FOR CHILDREN  (And crazy adults too!)
There are lots of games for children. They have fun, I tell you. Try it
http://www.funenglishgames.com/games.html

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES FOR ALL THE STUDENTS:
In this page you can find activities for all levels, different topics: Grammar, vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation.  You can work the 4skills: Listening, speaking, reading and writing. It's very useful
http://englishinteractive.net/

RIVERS OF EUROPE

Activity for MARCOS and other kids.
Games to learn the European rivers in English

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Europe-rivers-click.html

EUROPE MAP GAMES

Link with games for Marcos and other kids to learn about Europe Geography:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/European_Geography.htm

SUMMER OF 69

This song is for César, my guide in this trip as well as in others, and for Sergio, my favourite guitar player & football player, and, of course, for all the friends born in 1969.
Bryan Adams Summer of 69 Live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgpcwYooLO0&feature=related

DUBLIN

These are four photos of my beloved Dublin: A golf course in Wicklow Co., where Ferghil took us, a beautiful flower bed in St Stephen Green,Sergio & I are posing with Molly Malone and Trinity College. This was our last trip there in MAY 2007. To Clare & Ciara.

HESKETH FARM PARK

For children, travellers and ACCESO students (You must read a lot!)
Please, have a look at this link. We were in this farm last Summer. Sergio said it was better than Disney (& cheaper, I tell you!- I should have known this before!)
It is a lovely farm park in one of the most beautiful places in England: Yorkshire. It's next to Boltom Abbey.We also went to the Lake District, which is beautiful, too. You can look for information about these places in Google...in English, of course. I'll insert photos and videos soon...I'm learning.
Hesketh Farm Park:
http://www.heskethfarmpark.co.uk/Hesketh_Farm_Park/Hesketh_Farm_Park_-_Home.html

IRELAND

Information about Ireland. For all my students and friends.
Have a look at this link:
http://www.discoverireland.ie/
Ireland entered my life in July 1989. More than 20 years later, Ireland is still in my heart and will be forever. I love the people, the green landscapes, the colourful houses, the pubs, Grafton Street, St. Stephen Green, Blackrock park, the Irish writers, Bewley's café, U2, the Corrs, Wicklow Mountains. the DART.... but above all: THE HERNDERSONS, "my adopted family". Without them, I won't probably be a vocational English teacher. Without them, I won't definitely love Ireland this way.
Thank you so much.
I love you & I miss you every day (although I don't write e-mails very often lately!)
Love
ANA

Molly Malone

Activity for all the students, just for fun.
This is one of the most popular Irish folk songs. Sinead O'Connor is singing. You can read the lyrics and listen to the song and her beautiful voice at the same time. I love it:
http://www.lipwalklyrics.com/lyrics/720902-sin%C3%A9adoconnor-mollymalone.html
My aim these days is that you love Ireland as much as I do (I guess it's impossible)
ANA

Ireland's call

For Irish lovers
Song: Ireland's call
If you love Ireland like me, If you like the six nations rugby championship, if you are thinking about St. Patrick's Day already, here you have a must for Irish lovers. The song Ireland's call with the lirycs and a map of Ireland as well as some good photos. Learn the song and go to an Irish pub in Madrid or Dublin and sing it while you drink Guiness during the rubgy matches.
ANA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ufcQe5D27s

GAMES FOR MARCOS

Marcos: I have found games about countries and nationalities and other topics in this link. It's fun and you can review for your exams.
Nice for children!

http://kidseslgames.com/vocabulary%20games/Countries%20&%20Nationalities/countriesandnationalities.html

Teaching adults

For all the adult students
http://letsshareresources.blogspot.com/2009/03/teaching-adults-andragogy.html
This is a blog about teaching English to adult students which can be very interesting if you want to have a look.
Not all the students have the same previous knowledge and needs.
Try and have a look
ANA

Animals for kids

ACTIVITY FOR MARCOS, JAVIER, SERGIO & LUCÍA

http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/farm.html

This page has a lot of information about animals: wild animals, farm animals, pets, ocean animals. There are games and you can learn a lot of vocabulary.
Love
ANA

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION: DICKENS 200 ANNIVERSARY

DICKENS 200 YEARS ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH
Students of the CONVERSATION group, please, have a look to this link and find more information about Charles Dickens's life and works. We can talk about him next week in class.
Thanks
ANA

http://www.dickens2012.org/about-dickens-2012

VIDEO WITH ACTIVITIES

VIDEO WITH ACTIVITIES
SONG " I still haven't found what i'm looking for"

This activity is for the CONVERSATION group and the group "ACCESO" (You must practice verb tenses)
See the video with the lyrics and answer to these questions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnD6ojjA0OA

• Which two verb tenses are there in the title of the song?
• Which is the verb tense that appears more times and explain why?
• Find a metaphore in the lyrics.
• There is an incorrect past participle. Find it.
• What's the infinitive of the verb loosed. Look it up in a dictionary. Be careful since there is a very similar verb that you know. Compare both verbs (Infinitive, simple past and past participle forms)
• Find an  adjective in  superlative and aanother in  comparative form.
• What is the Kingdom come?
• Above all, enjoy the song. It's absolutely beautiful.
• ANA

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION: TRAVELLING

TRAVELLING ON LINE
ACTIVITY FOR MY CONVERSATION GROUP
We have worked about travelling and tourism during the first term. You know that Tuscany is my favourite place in the world. Read about Tuscany in this page: http://www.discovertuscany.com/ and bring a summary to the class next Monday 20th February writing briefly about:

1. Tuscany's history
2. Towns to visit
3. Places to stay
4. Restaurants
5. The landscape
6. Typical meals and drinks in the area

Thanks and enjoy it
ANA