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

ESO1: Face maker

Try this face maker from English-vocabulary-lists blog and practise your vocabulary!

http://englishvocabularylists.blogspot.com.es/2011/08/parts-of-face-vocabulary.html
http://englishflashgames.blogspot.com.es/2011/08/face-maker-game.html

ESO1: Demonstratives and colours

Here you have a video with exercises to practise this/these/that/those and combined with the colours and classroom objects. Notice the pronunciation!

Remember:     
                         Near                                                   Far                         
-Singular          THIS blue pen                                     THAT blue pen
-Plural              THESE blue pens                                THOSE blue pens

EXTRA GAME:

If you want to learn more colours, try this game!

Silver, gold, light green, sky blue, salmon, turquoise, fuchsia, navy... did you know about these colours? You have three different levels.

Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced

http://englishflashgames.blogspot.com.es/2008/05/colours-game.html

ESO4: Present Tense contrast

The difference between the present simple and the present continuous might seem like climbing the Annapurna but it's not! Here you have some exercises to practise... one of them is a letter of a British expedition to this high mountain in Nepal.

EASY PEASY:
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise1.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise3.html
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise4.html
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise5.html
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise6.html

I WANT MORE!:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_present_progressive2.htm
http://www.leshoekje.be/leshoekje/ICT-oef%20ENG2/present-continuous-sentences.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs1.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs2.htm

ESO3: Present Continuous

Present continuous (or progessive)  is used for:

a)  Actions that are happening at this moment:
I am reading this sentence right now.
b) Actions that are happening during the present  period of time
I am studying 4th of ESO this year.
c) Arranged actions in the future:
I'm visiting my grandmother this evening.

EXTRA: It can also be used for habitual actions in a negative sense:

d) My little brother is always crying.... I can't stand it!

The affirmative structure uses the subject + verb TO BE as auxiliary + the main verb ending in -ING

I am writing
You are working
He/She/It is playing
We are learning
They are reading

We always negate the auxiliary:

I'm not reading
you aren't listening
he/she/it isn't working
we aren't playing
they aren't writing

The question structure is as follows (like wagons in a train):
(WH-) + Aux. BE + Subject + V-ing...?

Am I teaching?
Are you studying?
Is he/she/it swimming?
Are we playing?
Are they getting ready?

Remember the spelling rules for the -ing form!

Typical time expressions used with this tense are NOW, AT THE MOMENT, AT PRESENT...

Exercises:
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise1.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise2.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise3.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise4.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise5.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentcontinuous/exercise6.swf

I WANT MORE:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_long.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/present_progressive_statements_contracted.htm

ESO3: Present Simple exercises

Here you have some exercises for practising the Present Simple structures. Revise the chart:

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I go	I don't go	Do I go ?
You go	You don't go	Do you go ?
He goes	He doesn't go	Does he go ?
She goes	She doesn't go	Does she go ?
It goes	It doesn't go	Does it go ?
We go	We don't go	Do we go ?
You go	You don't go	Do you go ?
They go	They don't go	Do they go ?

We usually find it with epressions such as: often - generally - usually - always - never
every day - every week - every month - every year - sometimes
Remember we use it for habitual actions, universal truths, and 'permanent' situations, for example:

a) I usually go to school by bus. (Habitual action)
b) Water boils at 100ºC. (Universal truth)
c) I live in London.

Structure: subject + verb (base form)

I play football.
You play tennis.
We study here.
They work there.

LOOK! The alarm sounds in the 3rd person singular:

Affirmative: He PLAYS football.
Negative: He DOESN'T play football.
Question: DOES he play football?

Notice that we in the negative, questions, or after modal verbs (can, must...) we don't use the -s at the end:

He doesn't plays.
He doesn't play.

She can plays tennis.
She can play tennis.

Exercises:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simple-present/form/exercises
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/65.html
http://www.englishmaven.org/HP6/Present%20Tense%20Exercise%208.htm