CANDLE IN THE WIND

 Activity for my ACCESO students
We have worked the exam with a text about Marilyn Monroe which title was  Candle in the Wind. As I told you this is a song that Elton John wrote to her and some years later he adapted the lyrics to sing it at Lady Di's funeral. I'm sure you know the song. It's lovely and sad. Here is the link from Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80rHyABCb20

ANOTHER 15 YEARS "A TU LADO"

Enrique is still in many people's lives. There are a lot of fans of that voice and those poetic lyrics who cannot forget him. I do not understand why his only biography is not published anymore. He is part of the musical history of Madrid and he does not have his street yet. He died fifteen years ago. I woke up with that news on the radio and I could not believe it. I had seen him in lots of concerts since the 80s, with Los Secretos, with Los Problemas and with Begoña Larrañaga. I met him once in a pub in Moncloa and we were talking for a while. He was polite and sweet. I lost his autograph but I will never forget his words. I met him again in the underground in Ciudad Universitaria. He was a genious but so accessible at the same time. Both qualities do not often go together. I went to  this concert two weeks ago. I had gone to last year, tribute too. One of the musicians of Emisión Zero is a guy from my neighbourhood. They play fantastically. Both concerts were very emotional, unforgettable. Many people miss Enrique fifteen years later but in a way we feel HE IS STILL A NUESTRO LADO.

SCIENCE, UNIT 2: HUMAN RESPIRATION, CIRCULATION & EXCRETION

Activity for Sergio and his friends in 4th Grade Primary.

1) The RESPIRATORY SYSTEM is the part of the human body related to BREATHING (Taking in oxygen and letting out  carbon dioxide).
The RESPIRATORY TRACT is the group of tubes which air goes in and out: Nasal passages, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi, which end in the alveoli. The lungs  are like sponges and contain the bronchi and the alveoli.

BREATHING has 3 stages:
1. INHALATION: Taking air into the lungs.
2. THE EXCHANGE OF OXIGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE with the blood.
3. EXHALATION: Letting air out of the body.

2) The CIRCULATORY SYSTEM is the part of the body that distributes nutrients and carries waste to the organs that eliminate it. It consists of:

- The HEART

- The BLOOD VESSELS

The BLOOD is the red liquid in our body.

The HEART pumps the BLOOD through the BLOOD VESSELS. The HEART has 4 chambers.

The BLOOD goes from the HEART to the BODY ORGANS and then comes back to the HEART. It's like a circuit.

3) EXCRETION is expelling waste.

The respiratory system releases carbon dioxide into the air.

The digestive system expells waste from the anus.

The EXCRETORY SYSTEM is made up of:

-  2 KIDNEYS (they filter the blood & make urine)

-  2 URETERS (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder)

- The BLADDER (it contanis urine. It is full when we want to go to the toilet9

- The URETHRA (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the toilet)

The SKIN eliminates waste through SWEAT GANDS, too.

Good job kids! Now you are sweating, you can rest.

DIET & NUTRITION

Activity for Sergio and his friends at 4th Grade Primary

We obtain NUTRIENTS by eating FOOD and drinking WATER. There are 3 TYPES OF FOOD according to the NUTRIENTS they contain:
- Energy-producing food (carbohydrates & fats) to get energy.
- Body-building food (proteins) to grow.
- Body-regulating food (vitamines, minerals and fibre) to prevent illness.

The human DIGESTIVE SYSTEM is made up of:
- THE DIGESTIVE TRACK: mouth, pharynx, oesophagus. stomach, small intestine, large intestine & anus.
- THE DIGESTIVE GLANDS: salivary glands, liver & pancreas.

The DIET is the food and water that a person consumes every day but a HEALTHY DIET is one that contains enough of the nutrients and water the body needs.

Important things TO BE HEALTHY:
- Have a HEALTHY DIET
- follow FOOD SAFETY rules.
- Do regular PHYSICAL EXERCISE
- SLEEP and REST.

So here is a link to DO PHYSICAL EXERCISE on line. You have all studied hard and you need to rest. I hope you enjoy it:

http://pbskids.org/mayaandmiguel/english/games/sports/soccer/flash.html

AUTUMN (Br. English) / FALL (Am. English)

Summer is my favourite season  although many people like Autumn. Well, it is a romantic time, the country looks beautiful, there are mushrooms, pines, acorns and leaves on the ground that crack when you walk on them. The  leaves of the trees get a bunch of warm colours yellow, orange, red and brown.

Many years ago I got a SCHOLARSHIP as a TEACHING ASSISTANT at a University in the US. I had finished my DEGREE in English Philology and I had the unforgettable expirience to work and live in the most beautiful area of the States in FALL: New England. There the colours of the trees range from light yellow to bright red even orange, pink and golden brown. The forests shine as if they were on fire. It is a phenomenon called the INDIAN SUMMER which is probably unique in the world. I worked at Williams College, Massachusetts, a quiet town surrounded by colorful mountains with a smell of wet wood that comes to my senses every Fall season wherever I am.

Here are some photos of that Fall in 1993.

 But there are also beautiful Autumn scenes in Spain, too. Enjoy the season!

San Pedro de Rocas, Galicia, 2003

Soria, 2001

BACK TO SCHOOL

Dear friends, students and other followers. I'm alive! I'm sorry for my long break but I needed holidays more than ever. Summer is over, another Summer in my village, in the almost forgotten village where my mother lived her childhood, in the Pirinees, a little bit of France and Portugal, sailing on the most beautiful river in Spain: Duero and visiting the most beautiful city in Spain: Salamanca.

I can't complain at all but the best thing of holidays is not the places but having time to spend with the people you love.

We are back to school at difficult times, more than ever. It's being hard, more than ever but I will survive. I feel like that Chinese mother in Amy Tan's novel. The Joy Luck Club who wants to say to her daughter: "This feather may look worthless but it comes from afar and carries with it all my good intentions. And she waited, year after year, for the day she could tell her daughter this in perfect American English".
I have a feather from the most beautiful swan for you all. I'll give it to you during this course but be patient. I'm busy at the moment but I promise to keep on working on this blog with ALL MY GOOD INTENTIONS.
Welcome back everyone.