POEM: IF THIS TIME BY KEVIN McCORMACK

Read and listen to this wonderful poem written by the Irish singer and song writer, Kevin McCormack:

Did you like it? What did you feel after reading it? Is there a quote that you liked in particular? You can add comments below.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

ACTIVITY FOR MY BELOVED STUDENTS OF 2E
This is the PDF of the wonderful novel we are reading by Mark Haddon.
Remember that you can also see the play at Teatro Marquina in Madrid.

ANIMAL FARM

Activity for 2 BACHILLERATO.
We are going to read Animal Farm in March.
This is the pdf taken from the internet:
http://www.huzheng.org/geniusreligion/AnimalFarm.pdf

Here you are!

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

This is the PDF I recommend 4º ESO Programa:
https://www.ego4u.com/download/pdf/canterville-ghost_easy.en.pdf

JAVIER REVERTE'S SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Javier Reverte is a Spanish journalist and writer. He loves travelling and his travel books have given him fame and good reviews but he also writes novels, poems, scripts for TV and short essays.

He was born in Madrid in 1944. He studied journalism and philosophy. He has worked as a journalist and newspaper correspondent for over 20 years.

He considers himself as a writer who travels. He loves travelling as a passion and he has travelled widely and deeply all over the world. In his books  he describes his experiences as a traveller together with a careful analysis of the history of the places he visits. He also gives the readers information about the lives of unforgettable travellers and explorers. His narrative is fresh and vivid. The reader can feel the heat of Africa, the cold of the North Pole, the sound of the sea from a ship. Among his travel books we can  highlight Trilogía de Africa (El sueño de Africa, Vagabundo en Africa and Los caminos perdidos de Africa), El corazón de Ulises ( a trip to Greece, Turkey and Egypt), La Aventura de viajar, El río de la desolación (a trip on the Amazon river), El río de la luz ( a trip in Alaska and Canada rafting the Yukon river), En mares salvajes ( a trip to the Artic Ocean crossing the Northwest Passage). Colinas que arden, lagos de fuego (Africa, again), which I have enjoyed too.
His last travel book that has been published is Canta Irlanda, which is a book that reflects the personality and the poetry of Ireland wonderfully. I think that we both have in common the love for Ireland.

He has also written novels such as the Trilogía de Centroamérica, Muerte a destiempo, La noche detenida, Todos los sueños del mundo, Venga a nosotros tu reino, Barrio Cero (superb!), La canción de Mbama (magical). He has been awarded with several literature prizes.

If I had another life, I'd like to be a travel writer like him with his skill for getting the reader in the place and make us travel with our imagination, which is an interesting way of travelling, too.

ENRIQUE URQUIJO'S SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Activity for all my students: the use of Simple Past Tense

Enrique Urquijo  has always been one of my favourite musicians. I still listen to his songs very often and they bring me good memories. His voice, his lyrics, his deep eyes, his sadness, his shy smile, his life are somewhere in my heart and will always be there.

Enrique Urquijo was born in Madrid on the 15th February 1960. He started loving & playing music at school. He started a band with his brothers Javier and Alvaro as well as his friend Canito, who played the drums. They founded the band Tos in 1978. On the night of New Year's Eve 1979 Canito died in a car accident. Later a concert as a homage to him called: "Concierto Homenaje a Canito" in February 1980 was considered the beginning of La Movida madrileña. Then the band changed their name as well as some members and were called Los Secretos. They published 15 records. They had a successful career. Enrique was a composer, singer, bass player and guitar player. He wrote songs which are essential in the history the Spanish pop music such as  Déjame, Sobre un vidrio mojado, No me imagino, Volver a ser un niño, Quiero beber hasta perder el control, Buena chica, Ojos de gata, Y no amanece, Por la calle del olvido, Adios tristeza, Agárrate fuerte a mí María, A tu lado.

He started an alternative band to experiment with versions of songs of La Movida and include rancheras, fados and other types of music. This band was called Los Problemas and they published two lovely records in 1993 and 1998.

Enrique was a very sensitive man. He suffered from depression and took drugs. He died dramatically in Madrid on the 17th November 1999. All his fans were absolutely shocked and terribly sad.

I saw him in lots of concerts from the 80s to almost his death. He played in big concerts halls with Los Secretos and in small pubs with Los Problemas. I met him once in a pub in Moncloa. There were very few people in the pub. I was with my cousins and a friend. He was alone. Los Secretos had launched their LP Continuará. We were talking  for a while about his new record and music. He was so polite and down to earth. He signed an autograph for me with a drawing that I lost later!!! "It is only a piece of paper" as Santiago Auserón told me in another occasion. I won't ever forget that night where I could talk to my idol as a nornal person. Maybe that's the reason why he wrote "Pero cómo explicar que me vuelvo vulgar al bajarme de cada escenario". He was not vulgar at all. He was a normal guy, not a star, although he was a genius.

Once he was playing in a pub and there was a drunk woman spoiling his concert a little. He was respectful and patient with her. He was a gentleman. I wish he would have lived longer. There were still so many beautiful songs to write. Sixteen years after his death many people still miss him...
The Bands Tos Secret & Emision Zero will make a tribute concert on the 21st Nov. in Madrid

Los Secretos: Quiero beber hasta perder el control

Enrique Urquijo y Los Problemas: Desde que no nos vemos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu4fNy7x2GI

ACCESO EXAMS CAM

Activity for my ACCESO STUDENTS.(By the way, Here are all the exams we have done during the course in case you want to keep on practicing. Come on. Don't give up. You can do it! Good luck!

http://sauce.pntic.mec.es/mbenit4/fprofesional.htm

SNOW BY JULIA ALVAREZ

It snowed a little last Friday. Whenever I see the snow I can't help thinking about the snowy winter I spent in New England at Williams College in Williamstown. Apart from living among the snow for months I had the opportunity to read lots of books in my studies of ethnic literature of the minorities in the US.
Thanks to Judith, I came across the first book by Julia Alvarez: How the García Girls Lost their Accents, which was a pleasure to read. Especially that chapter entitled Snow, when Yolanda, the youngest sister discovers the snow in class while the Cold War and the fear of a third World War is in the air.
This is the link from the Internet:

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/romance/spanish/219/13eeuu/alvarez.html

I hope you like it as much as I do.

WORLD BOOK DAY

We celebrate the World Book Day today. The UNESCO chose this day, when theoretically both Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died in 1616. We organize varied activities at schools and there are events like the reading of El Quijote at Círculo de Bellas Artes by many people all day long. You can buy books with a discount this week in many places. At el Sorolla we have filled two big boards with books recommendations by teachers and students and we have done the 1 book 1 euro market.
In Ireland and the UK people drive on the left!!! and they celebrate the World Book Day on the first Thursday in March!!!, which is St George's Day, in order to be different, I suppose.
Anyway, whenever people celebrate reading is always a pleasure and a gate to learn. It is very good for our brain and soul.
And this is all. I'm sorry. I have something to read now : )

A PLAY OUTLINE:TRAPPED IN THE THEATRE BUS

TRAPPED IN THE THEATRE BUS

RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: LEVEL 4

SYNOPSIS:

A group of students of and Adult School taking Secondary and two teachers do an extra school activity. They are seeing a play which is an adaptation of the film Shakespeare in Love at the “Theatre Bus””, this is a company that performs plays on a bus driving through Madrid. In the middle of the play there is a power failure and they have to stop and wait for the technician who will unlock the bus and let them free.

CHARACTERS:

NARRATOR

ACTORS: William Shakespeare, Thomas Kent/Viola de Lesseps, Christopher Marlowe, Henslowe.

TEACHERS: Ana and Maribel.

STUDENTS: Rodolfo, Susana, Lola, Jaime, Begoña, Víctor, Enrique.

ALL THE STUDENTS

DRIVER

TECHNICIAN

CHARACTER OBJECTIVES:

NARRATOR: He introduces the scenes of the play Shakespeare in Love.

ACTORS: They belong to a creative company. They want to perform their play for the students and they are very enthusiastic about it.

TEACHERS: Ana is a veteran teacher (the Head of the English Department, by the way) who prefers conventional classes rather than experiments and is very reluctant about this activity. Maribel is the opposite, she is a young teacher.  She wants to involve the students in new activities and try new methods to teach English.

STUDENTS: They are studying Secondary level II in an Adult School. They have different ages, aims and attitudes. They often clash about any matters.

DRIVER: He will retire in a month. He is only worried about driving the bus and finishing the crazy trip as soon as possible.

TECHNICIAN: A handsome young man. He feels important because he is the responsible of unlocking the bus. He is arrogant and self centered.

CLASS PREPARATION:

The students have recently watched the film Shakespeare in Love in English with subtitles in Spanish. This activity has been organized by the English and the Spanish Departments. Both departments have done activities to exploit the film. So this is the point of departure for our play inside a play (like in Elizabethan plays) in an unusual (but real) setting. Actually there is a theatre company that performs plays on a bus and I thought it would be funny to trap our varied students in a place like that. I told them and they liked the idea. I use my blog with my students and when they see the outline published, we will discuss what to do. We do not have much time to rehearse and perform a play. We have two classes a week and most students work but we could write a collaborative script.

SCENE BREAKDOWN

Madrid. Students from a CEPA do an extra school activity: “Theatre Bus”

SCENE 1

The teachers meet the students at school and give them general information about the activity. Some students look interested in it, some look bored, some are missing.

SCENE 2

The narrator welcomes the audience to the “Theatre Bus” and the play starts.

SCENE 3

Henslowe follows Shakespeare impatiently and worried begging for his play. Shakespeare tries to sneak away.

SCENE 4

Shakespeare meets Marlowe at an inn and confesses he has no inspiration. Marlowe gives him some ideas for the plot and Shakespeare feels relieved.

SCENE 5

Auditions start. Shakespeare feels fascinated by the actor Thomas Kent, who is reciting his verses.

SCENE 6

The lights go off. There is a chaos among the actors and the students. The driver says the electricity has collapsed and they have to stop and call the bus company for help. He phones his boss and they have to wait for a technician for about half an hour. They try to leave the bus but nothing works. They are locked.

SCENE 7

The actors try to continue the performance but students get nervous and some lose control. They start having arguments. Even the teachers quarrel about the usefulness of that activity and other things. The driver feels miserable. Most people are speaking on their mobile phones.

SCENE 8

Ana takes control of the situation. People calm down and start sharing water, food and even confessions. They learn to respect the others, at least most of them.

SCENE 9

The technician arrives. They all get excited but it is not as easy as they thought. He shows off but is not very efficient. The driver feels desperate and dreams about his retirement.

SCENE 10

The technician fixes the power. They all celebrate it noisily. They escape from the bus. The actors insist on continuing the play another day but Maribel says that only as long as it is performed in the assembly hall of the school. The technician takes the driver to a bar to celebrate their successful work.

Written by Ana Hernández 

THE TRAVELLING COINS

This is the story I have written for my course Drama & Storytelling. I hope you like it!

THE TRAVELLING COINS

She could not believe they were there again. This time it was not a dream. It was real, the mess of trolleys and bags, the uncertainty of tourists, the tired look of residents, and people speaking Italian all around, the language that sounds like music to her.

They rented a car at Fiumicino airport and drove to Tuscany. They enjoyed the sunset and the sparking lights of little villages. They arrived at Rodellosso country house.  The hostess received them with a smile, a homemade cake and a bottle of red wine.

 “Isn’t it a dream, really?”, she thought.

The next morning after the sun and the rooster songs entered their room softly, they went to Pienza. They saw a telephone box and they decided to phone the family. Sergio got the receiver and inserted a coin. Somebody answered the phone on the other side and the line went off, and so did the coin. Surprisingly, he got mad about it.

“How can I make a complaint to recuperate our coin?”, he said furiously.

“I’m afraid it’s impossible. Forget it and enjoy. Let’s have an espresso!” answered Lucía. He stared at the telephone box promising revenge.

They went to Siena the next day. They escaped from the pigeons in the piazza walking along the narrow streets. Suddenly a telephone box stood opposite them. Sergio challenged it and went straight into it with a bright euro coin in his hand. But the same thing happened again. His face turned red and his look bitter. Lucía could not help laughing and a battle started. So they decided to ignore telephone boxes during the whole holiday.

And the last day came. They were driving to the airport when suddenly they had to stop at a toll road. There were several coins outside the basket. Sergio stopped the car, got out and picked his two coins. He had a triumphal smile when he entered the car.  He explained that the Italian Tourist Board offers this service to travelers who wasted their money on telephone boxes before leaving the country. Lucía did not say a word. She sighed and started missing Italy.

Written by ANA Mª HERNÁNDEZ DOMÍNGUEZ

THE JOY LUCK CLUB BY AMY TAN

We, philologists, are a kind of people who like rereading books over and over again. It also happens to other people and not ony with books but also with films, art shows and so on. This year, when I was teaching my Acceso students in class,  I remembered the beginning of a novel that was an impact for me when I read it for the first time in 1993 in Massachusetts: The Joy Luck Club by the Asian-American writer Amy Tan. So in the next class I gave them the text and we worked it together. The power of her words full of meanings evoking the past and far away lands as well as expressing the inmense love of  mothers to  daughters and the the hope of a better life in the land where the dreams can come true is overwhelming in that text. Here it is if you want to read it:

https://app.box.com/s/twbq4tufm9o8wwemqqkf

 After reading this I decided to read the novel again and I found  it  superb. It is the story of four mothers born in China and for daughters born in the US and we can see the cultural contrasts and the bonds between these women written in a sensitive poetic style.
Amy Tan dedicated her first novel : To my mother and the memory of her mother" and she adds these deep words: "You asked me once what I would remember. This, and much more" and the novel starts like this filling he reader with great expectations.
Amy Tan is an American writer who was born in California in 1952. Her parents were immigrants from China. The Loy Luck Club is her first novel published in 1989 and she has published other well written novels such as: The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter's Daughter, The Opposite of Fate and Saving Fish from Drowning . All of them are translated into Spanish. If you read any of them, you will hook up, I'm sure.
She has beautiful quotations, among them I choose this: "Writing is an extreme privilege but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself and it's a gift of giving a story to someone"

LONDON

I was looking for something to exploit in class as required in the assignment of my literature course and I came across this WONDERFUL web page about LONDON.
There are beautiful photos, well written articles and very interesting information.
This is the link:

http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/

Have  a look and you'll love it

RUGBY: THE RBS 6 NATIONS

The RBS 6 NATIONS has started today!!!

If you want to follow this  exciting champoinship and READ in English, this is the link of the Official website of the rbs 6 Nations:

http://www.rbs6nations.com/

Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff 30-22
You can READ the review of the match in this link of the official RBS 6 Nations:
http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/matchcentre/21978.php
England beat Scotland 38-18 in London

This is just the beginning...

(This post is dedicated to César, Rodolfo and the Hendersons)

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

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: 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: 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!

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