ALL: Welcome! 2014-15

Hello! Get ready for an exciting academic year where we will test your erupting creativity and your English skills will improve! Why? Because we are visiting the volcanic area of Olot and the Jordan beech! This is our "Discover Catalonia" project but many ore surprises await for us. Moreover, get ready to travel all around the world in each unit throughout the course to discover amazing cultural facts of the English-speaking world!



ESO1
If this is your first year in our school, WELCOME! This is your English blog for the year where notes, videos, games and extra activities will be uploaded every now and then to motivate you in your English learning whole experience.

ESO3
This year you will be challenged by the Euroscola contest, where team work is essential and you can win a trip abroad. Furthermore, we will have the chance to develop our speaking skills through dramatization in our split group hours so don't be shy and be up for rehearsing!

ESO4
This is your last year in our school (hopefully!) and the external exams are ahead... but we want it to be your best year ever so many projects are ahead and an end-of-year trip abroad, festival and much more. We will help you deciding about your future path and we will have time to develop these matters throughout the year, it is the time to do your best!

So have a look to this video from Kid President to start up! Get INSPIRED!

And for teachers... and students too, this video about experienced teachers on their first day at school... as teachers!

BASICS FOR THE COURSE:

ASSESSMENT

• 30% Procedures: homework/dossier, compositions, reading
• 40% Contents: tests (speaking and written: vocabulary, grammar, listening, reading, writing)
• 30% Attitude: punctuality, participation, politeness

For speaking tests:
25% Accuracy
25% Fluency
25% Pronunciation
25% Acting/Originality

For compositions:          
20% Accuracy (Acc):  grammar, spelling, word order...
20% Fluency (Fl): punctuation, connectors...
20% Structure (Str): title, number of paragraphs, separations...
20% Presentation (Pr): neat and polished, extra requirements: image, map...
20% Originality (Or): you research and use your own ideas beyond the model

IMPORTANT!! Plagiarism (copying) and atomatic translation (e.g. Google translation) will result in an UNQUALIFIED composition (i.e. 0), check www.wordreference.com and other online or print dictionaries.

For reading papers:

Choose the book you like according to your level and complete the reading worksheet. Share your comments with your colleagues in the READING CLUB board and complete the activities in the book to male the best of your reading!

Remember you have graded books to enjoy reading in English at the Languages Department and you can ask for books as many times as you want as this will help you develop your vocabulary and your reading comprehension.

WORKBOOK AND STUDENTS BOOK

We will use a digital book, Switch (Oxford University Press) Students and Workbook, so you will need a laptop or netbook.

You will also have materials from other sources.
In the absence of your teacher check your email inbox for instructions and this blog. If there are problems with the Internet connection you wil have printed materials delivered by the cover teacher.

MATERIALS

Diary (homework and exams)
White sheets (better recycled!)
Plastic pockets (to keep your dossiers)
Folder
Pens (blue/black for notes, green for self-marking, red for marking)
Coloured pencils, scissors, glue... (for different projects)
Earphones (some listening activities will be on your own)

Match! (Interactive board activity): write the name of the objects:

Proposed heading for CC English (Common Credit English):

CC English                      Tuesday, 16th September 2014
UNIT 1                                     Name Surname Surname
                   
                        TITLE

Notes...
Activity 1:

ALL: OUTPUTS 2013-1

Here you have a sample of your work during this year. Thank you for your effort! From creative cooking to writing postcards or imagining our near (or far away) future. You have been really motivated and inspiring, so... Congratulations!

ESO2

Here you have some of your creations, you are amazing chefs!

ESO4: Unit 3_Senses in New Zealand

The exam is round the corner so start revising:

• VOC. Senses and Noun-Verb words + illnesses and medicine.
• GR. Present Perfect + adverbs (already, ever, yet, just).
• GR. Continuous assessment: revise Present Simple/Cont and Past Simple
• DIALOGUE: Visiting the doctor's
• READING: Holidays
• LISTENING related to the topic (senses: taste, hearing, smell, touch, sight)

Get also ready for a SPEAKING test (going to the doctor) and a WRITING test (composition) in the following days. And finish your dossier! Good luck!

ESO4: Being human... and animal!

Here you have a picture with external parts of the body to learn:

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/body.htm ... and here you'll find other organs:

Try to draw the body and the different body parts and leran vocabulary ths way. Read sources in English to expand your vocabulary!

Here you'll find extra exercises:

• -Illnesses
• -Dialogue at the doctor's
• -Games!

• Crossword

  Dictation and Spelling Test

  Save the Bear! - a cute derivative of hangman

  Odd One Out

  Rumble in the Jumble - The Human Body

  Word Search

   

http://www.learnenglish.de/Games/SeekAWord/wordsearch10.htm
http://www.learnenglish.de/crosswords/humanbody.htm

Have a look and become a surgeon!: http://www.edheads.org/activities/knee/

ESO1: What's the time?

Hello! Here you will find up to FIFTEEN games to tell the time in English...can you spot on the right time?
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/measures.htm 
If you need to revise how to tell the time try this link: http://www.wmnet.org.uk/wmnet/custom/files_uploaded/uploaded_resources/503/clock.swf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/telling_the_time/play/popup.shtml
http://resources.oswego.org/games/BangOnTime/clockwordres.html

ESO3: Crime vocabulary: Cybercrime!

We start Unit 3 travelling to one of my favoiurite countries: New Zealand! But is is so far away that we need to do a stop-over in San Francisco. After  learning about Al Capone and the Alcatraz prison we will become familiar to some vocabulary related to crime and justice. Do you remember the case of that student accused of hacking? Beware... safety on the Internet is extremely important!

Rosa Saló is an English teacher in Girona who has engaged in an excellent project with interesting materials to work the contents of this unit. Visit for more info: https://sites.google.com/a/xtec.cat/private-detectives/fbi---kids-safety Here you have an example of what "detectives" of your age can do!

LISTENING: Watch this Phineas and Ferb's video and copy the cyberules on your notebook. Then translate them. What do you think about it?

SPEAKING: Let's discuss about cyberbulling... What is it? What types of cyberbulling are there? How can you avoid it or what can you do to fight it? How would you help a friend who is experiencing it? As in Rosa's web we can elaborate a list of DO's and DON'Ts from the following webpage and discuss http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety

READING:  Here you can read about the daily routine of an FBI agent... if there is such a thing for an agent! http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-day

WRITING: Write a story in groups of two or three with random words from this unit. It has to be a mystery/crime story soi try to keep the guilty person until the end!
It's like playing CLUEDO! You need a scene, a victim, a murderer, and at least two suspects! http://www.cyberbee.com/whodunnit/crimescene.html


For high level talents don't miss this out! http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-mystery.html


GAMES: Play different games from the FBI webpage to get familiar to this new vocabulary.
http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-games

 EXTRA VOCABULARY: http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-investigate

ESO3: Revision of shopping vocabulary and directions.

Getting ready for the exam? Here you have extra practice for shops and directions!

• Task 1 and 2 for revision. 
• Task 3 for advancing in your knowledge!
• Task 4 with listening activities!

 http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=1434

ESO1: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Here you have a version of White Christmas by Lady Gaga, with a fill in the gaps exercise... go for it!
1) http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/songs/christmas/elementary/white-christmas.html

2) Match these special days with the corresponding dates:

1. Christmas Day                     a. 24 December
2. Boxing Day                          b. 25 December
3. Christmas Eve                      c. 26 December
4. New Year                            d. 1 January


In Spain we also celebrate the following ones:

5. Christmas Lottery ("La Grossa/El Gordo")       e. 6 January
6. Holy Innocent's Day                                        f.  28 December
7. The Three Wise Men bring us presents            g.  22 December

3) Speaking: What festivity is the most special in your country? When? What happens in Catalonia on 24th December with the Caga Tió? Do you know any Christmas carol in your languages?

4) Recycling:
Can you complete the day numbers with th, st, nd, rd? For example:
We do not go to school on the 23rd of December.


5) Keep practising vocabulary with these games!:
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/christmas/beginner-christmas-vocabulary.html

 EXTRA! Let's make Xmas (=Christmas) cards! Get some ideas here: http://www.squidoo.com/buy-unusual-christmas-cards

ESO1: Sports!

We start up a new unit playing some sports! Which one is your favourite one? Do you play any sport during the break? And after school? And during holidays? Do you support any team?

Let's listen and repeat this vocabulary. Which sports use a ball? Which don't?

Organize the sports together with the verbs they go with! PLAY - GO - DO
E.g. play football, go jogging, do judo.

Games: http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/sportQuiz.htm
http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/sportMatching.htm
http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/sportSpelling.htm
http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/sportHangman.htm


Review: http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/sportDictionary.htm

ESO3: Caledonia... that is, Scotland.

Amy Macdonald is a Scottish singer who is having a lot of success at the moment. She started her career some years ago, and she became famous in 2007 with her debut album, This Is the Life (2007) and its fourth single, "This Is the Life". The single charted at number one in six different countries worldwide. Let's listen to her version of Caledonia.

Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Romans to the land in today's Scotland north of their province of Britannia, beyond the frontier of their empire. Modern use is as a romantic or poetic name for Scotland as a whole.

 LYRICS

"I don't know if you can see
The changes that have come over me
In these last few days I've been afraid
That I might drift away
So I've been telling old stories, singing songs
That make me think about where I came from
And that's the reason why I seem
So far away today

Oh, but let me tell you that I love you
That I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
And now I'm going home
If I should become a stranger
You know that it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's been everything
I've ever had"

Activities:

1. Who gave this name, "Caledonia",  to Scotland? In what language is it written? [x2]

2. What's the name of the instrument playing at the end of the song? [x1]

3, Turn the seven underlined verbs into the simple past. [x7]

ESO4: Ireland, the Emerald Island!

Fáilte go hÉirinn! Welcome to ireland (in Irish). We carry on with our articular trip to the Emerald Island. This is one of its nicknames because it's soooo green! I am particularly keen on Irish music so get ready to start up every lesson with a piece of Irish music, either traditional Celtic songs or famous pop ones! Let's start up the journey with "Stars", by The Cranberries. Isn't it green?
LOOK!: What instruments can you identify? 

By the way, I went to their concert in Barcelona last month. Did you go to any concert last year?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBrFw3b0D0E

The stars are bright tonight
and I am walking nowhere
i guess i will be alright
desire gets you nowhere
And you are always right
and my, you are so perfect
Take you as you are
i'll have you as you are
i'll take you as you are
I love you just the way you are
i'll have you just the way you are
i'll take you just the way you are
does anyone love the way they are?
The stars are bright tonight
a distance is between us
and i will be okay
the worst i've ever seen us
Still i have my weaknesses
still i have my strengths
and still i have my ugliness
but i..
I love you just the way you are
i'll have you just the way you are
i'll take you just the way you are
does anyone love the way they are? (x2)Star, star...

Activities:

1. Whats the mistake with the personal pronoun (1st person singular)?

2. Can you discriminate regular from irregular verbs?

3. Turn the verb tenses into the Past Simple. Example: "The stars were bright tonight..." 

4. Who sings? How does she feel? Where are they? When was the videoclip shot?

ESO4: Welcome Unit. Cyprus!

We start the academic year in one of the most attractive summer destinations in Europe, the island of Cyprus, on the East of the Mediterranean Sea. We'll revise vocabulary and grammar from other years, recycle our knowledge of basic question words and listen to one of the most famous Cypriot singers at the moment: Ivi Adamou, Eurovision contestant for this country in 2012. You'll even interview her! Enjoy it!

ESO4: Unit 1 (2012-13). London Fashion.

Welcome to the trendy city of London. Walking throughout the capital of England, we'll visit some of its monuments along the Thames River and we'll go shopping to posh malls such as Harrods and to street markets like Camden Market. You will also discover the history of the Punks: they usually wear scruffy clothes and have dyed hair, tattoos and piercings. Then, you will have to describe your favourite celebrities: are they trendy or old-fashioned? Do they dress elegantly or with smart-casual clothes? Finally... why don't we organize a fashion show? Practise your catwalking and look for accessories just in case ;)

ESO3: Learning to learn (L2L)-Mind maps.

I would like to introduce you to a strategy to learn grammar or vocabulary (or actually whatever you want) in a creative way: mind maps! It's a way to organize what you have to learn creating threads or branches from a particular idea. You can have a chore illustration and from there add smaller branches. The more creative you are the better!

Ana Todorovic, from Serbia, proposes this mind map for the Present Smple: a big Superman to help us when the alarm sounds (third person singular: he/she/it adds -S, like the "S" for Superman). Can you identify other clues she uses?



http://www.tt-group.net/text/mape_uma/mape_uma_2.htm

Your turn:
Study her example and try to make a mind map on your own for the Present Continuous (you can use the information below).

ESO3 & 4: Trick or treat? Halloween time!

Trick or treat? It's getting colder, windier... and spookier! How much do you know about Halloween? let's start with a basic vocabulary and then we'll listen to a song to learn new words.

DIVERSIFICATION: Listen and repeat (notice the spelling!)

 Now let's watch the videoclip. How many words can you identify?  

CONTEST! WORK IN TEAMS. Worksheet. Let's test your knowledge about Halloween! Answer the questionnaire about this festivity, read the curious facts, solve the mystery picture, unscramble the text message and find the Halloween-related vocabulary in English in the soup! PRIZE FOR THE FIRST TEAM WITH ALL CORRECT ANSWERS! ^_^

EXTRA: Search for the ESO4 entry from last year (2011). You will find a video about the origins of Halloween. Then you can test yourself! How much have you learnt? ENJOY HALLOWEEN! http://zoomenglish.blogspot.com.es/2011/11/history-of-halloween.html

More links:

• Decorations: http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/slideshows/nesting/13-frightfully-fun-halloween-crafts-make-kids/
• Videogames and more: http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/halloween/index.html?trnstl=1
• Make-up and customes for your Halloween party: http://www.instructables.com/halloween/
• Cooking: http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/halloween/recipes/ghostly-pears.html

ESO1: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Spooky spooky! It's Halloween time! And we are going to devote one session to talk about scary stories, learn about Halloween origins and traditions and even make our own Jack-o'-lantern masks and monsters to decorate our class!

1. SONG. Here we have a song to learn about the Jack-o'-lantern face.Look at the list:

HAIR, EYES, NOSE, MOUTH, EARS.

a) What parts of the face do appear?
b) What parts are missing?

Lyrics

Pumpkin Pumpkin
Let's give you some eyes
Pumpkin Pumpkin
Let's give you a nose
Pumpkin Pumpkin
Let's give you a scary smile
And now you're a Jack O Lantern

The ghosts and the ghouls and the witches
They will run a mile
When they see my scary smile

Put me in the window
And I'll chase the night away
Because I am a Jack O Lantern
I am a Jack O Lantern
I am a Jack O Lantern
  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mph3hygIFU&feature=related

2. VOCABULARY: In the clip they mention three of the following words... which ones? What do the other words mean? Perhaps you can get some help from the picture on the left (from the film Transylvania, now in cinemas!)                     GHOSTS, VAMPIRES, BATS, SPIDERS, GHOULS, MONSTER, WITCHES, GOBLINS, WEREWOLF, MUMMY.    

3. CREATE! Let's make our Halloween masks in just 3 minutes! 

Materials: an orange sheet of paper, a pencil and scissors.

Steps: 

1. Fold the orange paper (A4 size) in two halves (landscape position)

2. Draw a half of the Jack-o'-lantern with the pencil. The middle of the pumpkin must be on the right!

3. Carefully, cut out the nose, the eye, and the mouth. Finally, cut the exterior shape.

Unfold it and... you've got your own Jack-o'-lantern mask! 

You are ready to ask for candies after saying "Trick or treat"! ^_^

EXTRA: If we have time... work in groups of three and create your own monster, mixing vampires' or werewolves' heads with witches' or bats' bodies and spiders' or goblins' feet... invent a name for your creatures and... decorate your classroom!

Imagine....
<<< What is this? A h- - - - - - house.
<<< Who does live in it?
<<< Where is it?

More links:

• Decorations: http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/slideshows/nesting/13-frightfully-fun-halloween-crafts-make-kids/
• Videogames and more: http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/halloween/index.html?trnstl=1
• Make-up and customes for your Halloween party: http://www.instructables.com/halloween/
• Cooking: http://funschool.kaboose.com/fun-blaster/halloween/recipes/ghostly-pears.html