WRITING TASKS: Unit 5 (4º ESO)

1. What can a foreign teenager visit if he/she comes to your country? Write an informal letter to a friend and invite him/her.

2. Your English penfriend has asked you about your plans for the future. Write a letter telling him/her about your aspirations, and giving the reasons for your choices. Address issues such as studies, work, travel, marriage, children and lifestyle.

3. What will the world look like fifty years from now? Include information on: jobs, schools and education, war and peace, energy, food, environment and free time.

4. How will school be like in 5o years? How will students learn? What will they learn?
What would you do if you were the teacher?

No kissing here

February 17, 2009

No kissing allowed at Warrington station – it blocks the platform
By Mark Hughes

Lovers hoping to bid each other an intimate farewell will no longer be able to do so in certain areas of Warrington Bank Quay train station after "no kissing" signs appeared following concerns that embracing couples were causing congestion.
The signs were installed on Friday as part of a £1m refurbishment of the station and have divided the car park and taxi ranks into "kissing" and "no-kissing" zones.
They will mean an end to scenes like the one between Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in the 1945 film Brief Encounter, in which the couple share a passionate embrace at a station.
The idea of the "no-kissing" zones at Warrington station in Cheshire, was first mooted in 1998 by Colin Daniels, chief executive of the town's chamber of commerce. He came up with the idea after hearing that a station in Deerfield, Illinois, had used the signs to ease congestion.
But it was only last week, following the revamp, that the signs were put up because the station has become "increasingly busy" since the introduction of Pendolino trains between London and Glasgow and Super Voyager trains between Birmingham and Scotland.
Mr Daniels said yesterday: "It is a fairly congested station and ideally what we want is for people to come here, drop someone off and move on. But that wasn't always happening and people were lingering and causing delays.
"With these 'no-kissing' signs we are pointing out that we don't want people doing that right outside the front of the station. If they want to linger and say a longer goodbye they can do that in the 'kissing zone' where there is a limited amount of parking."
Mr Daniels said that the station would not be enforcing the zones too rigidly, adding: "It is a bit of fun, but it will be interesting to see if people observe it. They may seem frivolous but there is a serious message underneath."
And despite the timing of the signs appearing –one day before Valentine's Day – they are not, as some cynics have might suggest, a marketing ploy. Mr Daniels insists they are there to stay "unless someone nicks them".
At the station, commuters had a mixed view on the signs. Amy Swain, 21, said: "I don't see the point in the 'no-kissing' sign. I don't think it'll stop people. But the kissing sign is good, although it might be upsetting if you're single." But Ruth Hardman, 31, said: "They should spend the money on something more worthwhile."
A Virgin spokesman said: "It's just a quirky thing. It's nothing more than a light-hearted way of getting the message across."

Source: The Independent

Translation (Unit 5) - 4º E.S.O.

UNIT 5 (Future and conditionals)

1-Si a ella se le olvida mi cumpleaños, me enfadaré.
2-Yo en tu lugar, pediría perdón (say sorry)
3-¿Vas a estudiar inglés esta tarde o vas a salir con tus amigos?
4-Te prometo que te ayudaré con los deberes.
5-¿Qué harías si perdieses las llaves?
6-A John no le gusta el deporte. ¡No será profesor de Educación Física en el futuro!
7-Estoy cansada. Me voy a la cama.
8-La película va a empezar dentro de cinco minutos..
9-¿Llorarías si esto te sucediese a ti?
10-“¿Viene Tom a la piscina con nosotros?” “Creo que sí”
11-Está muy nublado. Creo que va a llover.
12-Tengo un novio nuevo.¡ Creo que te gustará!
13-¡Mira ese coche! ¡Se va a estrellar!
14-Si veo a Charlie, le daré el recado.(message)
15-¿Conduciremos coches voladores para ir al colegio en 2020?

Pepa's Contribution

If...

Conditional sentences

- Grammar and activities (Types I, II, III)
- Exercises (englisch hilfen)
- Quiz
- Types I and II
- If I were a boy (subtitles in Spanish)
- I have a dream
- Matching
- Lesson plan

Song lyrics | If I Were A Boy lyrics

Happy Valentine's Day!

- Write your love poem
- Activities
- Memory game
- Send a card
- More activities
- The Holiday Spot

Guessing... (4)

Can you guess..?

No excuse this time because it's an easy one. Look at the picture. Where are we?

ANSWER: Stratford-upon-Avon is a market townand civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. The town is a popular tourist destination owing to its status as birthplace of the playwright and poet William Shakespeare, receiving about three million visitors a year from all over the world

And the WINNER is Patricia (4ºC). Congratulations!

Güi spik inglish

From Mr. Botin to Yuyu´s chirigota...., no doubt, güi spik inglish. What about you?

The Future

The Future

1) WILL + INFINITIVE

In 2020 cars will fly.

2) BE GOING TO + INFINITIVE

Look at those clouds! It's going to rain.

3) PRESENT SIMPLE

My train leaves at 5.00.

4) PRESENT CONTINUOUS

I'm playing tennis on Monday.

------------------------------------------

• ACTIVITIES and RESOURCES:

- Will / Going to 1, 2

- Will: statements, negations

- Going to: statements, negations

- Quiz

- Future forms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

- Uses: will, be going to

- Song: I Will Always Love You (W. Houston)

- Video Lessons: 1, 2, 3, 4

Future Tenses

View more presentations from rosarioa.slide. (tags: acuña grammar)

Jokes

Jokes

- What did you learn in school today?

- Not enough, I have to go back tomorrow!

- Teacher: You aren't paying attention to me. Are you having trouble hearing?

- Student: No, teacher I'm having trouble listening!

- Teacher: Why can't you ever answer any of my questions?

- Student: Well if I could there wouldn't be much point in me being here!

• Listen and read more jokes.

- Read or download MP3
- Elementary
- Intermediate
- Helen's jokes

Sources: Randy Glasbergen, englishclub, jokes4teachers

The house

My house

- Our house
- My house
- Where we live
- Furniture
- Furniture (card game)
- Paint your room
- Label the room
- Rooms of the house (hangman)
- Rooms and furniture
- Parts of the house (activities and questions)

Translation (Unit 4) - 4º E.S.O.

4º E.S.O.-Unit 4 TRANSLATION

Download

-¿Cómo se hace la cerveza?
-¿Cuándo se construyó este hospital? ¿Se construyó hace mucho tiempo?
-Mis suegros nacieron en Madrid pero mi marido nació en Sevilla.
-Me robaron el coche la semana pasada pero al día siguiente lo encontró la policía. (utiliza en los dos casos la pasiva)
-¿De qué está hecha esta estantería? ¿Está hecha de madera?
-No se venden revistas aquí.
-Este vino no se hace en Francia. Se hace en España.
-Fueron vistos por última vez en Nueva York.
-¿Te ofrecieron trabajo durante la entrevista?
-En ese colegio se enseña japonés.
-¿Por qué se destruyeron tantas iglesias durante la guerra?
-Ese puente fue diseñado por uno de nuestros mejores ingenieros.
-Se envió un ramo de flores a la viuda.
-¿Se limpian las clases todos los días?
-Le ofrecieron una recompesa de 1000 libras.(He...........)
-Anoche rompieron el escaparate de la tienda.
-Se vendieron todas las entradas para el partido de baloncesto.
-¿A quién le dieron el premio?
-El vuelo fue cancelado por culpa del viento.
-A ella le prometieron un aumento de sueldo(a rise in salary)(She............)

Pepa's contribution

Guessing... (3)

Clue: 14th February is St. Valentine's Day. Can you guess a word connected with this topic?

And the correct answer was...: SWEETHEART (Merriam-Webster- 1 : darling 2 : one who is loved 3 : a generally likable person 4 : a remarkable one of its kind )

February's special dates

St. Valentine's Day (14th February)

- Vocabulary
- Words of love
- Listening
- Reading
- Make a valentine (for beginners)
- Isabel's ESL links

Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day (24 February)

- Information

- Quiz

- Food events BBC

Ash Wednesday (25th February)

- Information

- Quiz

School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

(30th January)

* Peace symbols:

- drag and drop game

- reading and comprehension (pdf)

- listening (mp3)

- The Robe of Peace by O. Henry (pdf)

* Fun things:

- Coloring pages: Dove and bridge

- Famous posters

- Mail a rainbow for peace

- Peace in many languages

- Origami peace crane

- Educational games (via Begoña)

Song lyrics | Give Peace A Chance lyrics

Guessing... (2)

CLUE: The School Day of Non-violence and Peace is held on January 30 every year.

Can you guess the word of this week?

ANSWER: Sorry, "peace" was too obvious and it was included in the clue, so as you can imagine, it wasn't the word we were looking for. The word of this week was PEACE-LOVING (adjective): inclined or disposed to peace, liking peace and trying to live and act in a way which will bring it.

AND THE WINNER IS... No winner this week. Keep trying!

Passive voice

The Passive Voice

1) USE: when we are interested in the object or when we do not know who caused the action.

2) FORM: to be + past participle

3) EXPLANATIONS:
- English Hilfen
- Ego4u
- Jennifer ESL (videos)
- Saber inglés (in Spanish)
- Tenses chart

4) ACTIVITIES:
- English Hilfen
- Ego4u
- Isabel's ESL site
- Agendaweb

Inauguration Day 2009

Inauguration Day 09

PARTICIPANTS: Barack Obama
LOCATION: Washington, D.C. (US Capitol)
DATE: January 20, 2009

Obama's inaugural speech

Create your "Obamicon"

The swearing-in of the President of the United States occurs upon the commencement of a new term of a President of the United States. The United States Constitution mandates that the President make the following oath or affirmation before he or she can "enter on the Execution" of the office of the presidency:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The newly elected or re-elected President traditionally adds "so help me God" to the constitutionally mandated statement.

The theme for Inauguration Day is "A New Birth of Freedom," in honor of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.

SCHEDULE

Time ----------Event
8:00 AM ----- Gates open for ticketed attendees .
10:00 AM ----- Preliminary festivities begin, including music by The United States Marine Band, The San Francisco Boys Chorus, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
11:30 AM ----- If you have tickets to the Inauguration ceremony, you must have passed through security by this time.
Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein ; Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren
Aretha Franklin will sing
Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office
12:00 Noon ----- As specified by the U.S. Constitution (20th Amendment), presidential terms of office begin and end at 12:00 noon on January 20. Barack Obama will take the oath of office, which is this simple, 35-word, statement:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
12:05 PM (approx) ----- President Barack Obama will give his inaugural address, speaking to the nation and world, for the first time, as President of the United States, followed by:
Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters"
1:00 PM (approx) ----- Inaugural Luncheon.

2:30 PM (approx) ----- Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
Evening ----- There are many inaugural balls held around Washington, DC. Some will be hosted by President Obama, others are just parties.

Activities to print

- Crossword

- Bingo

- Timeline

- Barack and Michelle

Sources: Wikipedia, Inauguration Day web, EL Civics

Guessing...(1)

Can you guess the expression? If you know it, make a comment.

ANSWER:

Fall in love (Verb): begin to experience feelings of love towards; "She fell in love with her friend"

AND THE WINNER IS...

Marina (you've got 1 point, congratulations!!)

Body parts

ACTIVITIES
1. Exercise
2. Dictation
3. Hangman
4. Wordsearch
5. Face Match
6. Click to listen
7. Game
8. Speed wod game

We are back!

Happy New Year! Are you ready to start working? We have included some novelties for this term (to be introduced little by little). Have a look and remember to visit this blog regularly.

- New Links:

1) Lexipedia: an online visual semantic network with dictionary and thesaurus reference functionality (via Inma Alcázar)

2) Yolango: authentic video clips with accompanying cloze drills, vocabulary exercises and comprehension questions.

3) Strip generator: an application to create comic strips. (via Pepa)

4) Comic creator: an interactive tool that invites students to compose their own comic strips for a variety of contexts.

5) More interesting blogs

- New competitions:
1) Guess the word: every Monday we'll post a picture, definition or riddle and once you know the answer, you have to write a comment with the solution. Let's see who's the winner at the end of this term! (via Our Advanced English blog)

2) Writing contest: every two weeks we'll hold a Writing Contest for all students.
* Several categories (1º ESO-Bachillerato)
* All stories must be submitted in due time

* Writing criteria will vary each time (length, topic...)

--> More novelties soon.

The Gift of the Magi

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI By O. Henry

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty- seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.

The Gift of the Magi is one of O. Henry's most famous short stories. Christmas has become too commercial and it is a good example of how people forget the true spiritual meaning of special occasions. Read the story and remember that "love is the greatest gift of all".
- Text
- Text in PDF
- In Spanish: PDF, text and audio
- Listen and read at the same time
- Audio in mp3

Happy 2009!

London is a great city to celebrate the festive season; there's so much going on!
You can go ice-skating throughout the Christmas and New Year period, enjoy fireworks or more alternative entertainment on New Year's Eve or experience something totally different for your New Year's Resolutions. (VisitLondon.com)

Happy 2009!

London Quiz

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It's a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. Can you tell us your New Year's resolutions? (Comments)

Examples:

- I guess I'd better spend more time with family and friends.

- I promise I'll quit smoking.

- I really should learn English.

- Never again will I fail an exam.

Translation - Unit 3 (4º E.S.O.)

TRANSLATE THESE SENTENCES INTO ENGLISH

1.- Sergio ha besado a Laura en el pasillo del instituto y todo el mundo se ha reído.
2.- He leído ya el libro de inglés, pero no me ha gustado.
3.- Hemos oído esta canción muchas veces este año, la hemos repetido en clase casi todos los días. 4.- Acabo de ver a tu hermana, estaba enfrente del cine con un amigo muy guapo.
5.- ¿Habéis estado alguna vez en Australia? No, hemos viajado a Nueva Zelanda, pero no hemos estado nunca en Australia.
6.- Daniel ha sido el mejor alumno desde el año pasado y ha recibido un premio hace 1 mes .
7.- El gato ha roto la silla de mi abuela con sus garras, pero mi padre lo ha arreglado ya.
8.- ¿Ha entregado la maestra el examen ya? No, ella ya ha puesto las notas de la composición, pero no ha dado el examen todavía.
9.- Te he echado de menos. ¿Por qué no me has llamado?
10.- Perdona, he estado muy ocupada. He tenido mucho trabajo esta semana
11.- Julio ha gastado 90 euros en unos zapatos nuevos. El ha usado el mismo par de zapatos durante 2 años.
12.- No he visto a Marcos desde hace 3 días. ¿Dónde ha estado? No sé.
13.- Sara ha preguntado a su padre algo muy importante, pero su padre no le ha contestado aún.
14.- Mis primos acaban de encontrar un cuerno de toro en una caja y un rabo de conejo debajo de un árbol.
15.- No he estado nunca en un concierto de música clásica.
16.- Raquel no me ha invitado a su fiesta todavía. No he ido a una fiesta desde el verano pasado.
17.- Carmen ha tenido un dolor de cabeza durante 3 días, hoy ha ido al médico.
18.- ¿Cariño, has desayunado ya? No,me acabo de levantar y no tengo hambre aún.
19.- ¿Habéis conocido alguna vez a alguien famoso? Sí, yo he visto a Brad Pitt en Madrid hace algunos años.
20.- ¿Has volado en helicóptero alguna vez? No, me pongo enferma cuando vuelo.

Ana's contribution

Do They Know It's Christmas? (2004 version)

BAND AID 20 (Wikipedia)

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" (azlyrics) [Chris Martin:] It's Christmastime, there's no need to be afraid At Christmastime, we let in light and we banish shade [Dido:] And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy Throw your arms around the world at Christmastime [Robbie Williams:] But say a prayer, Pray for the other ones At Christmastime it's hard, but when you're having fun [Sugababes:] There's a world outside your window And it's a world of dread and fear [Fran Healy:] Where the only water flowing [Fran Healy & Sugarbabes:] Is the bitter sting of tears [Fran Healy & Justin Hawkins:] And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom [Bono:] Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you [Will Young & Jamelia:] And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime The greatest gift they'll get this year is life [Ms Dynamite & Beverly Knight:] Where nothing ever grows No rain nor rivers flow [Group of ten and Joss Stone:] Do they know it's Christmastime at all? [Tom Chaplin (Keane):] Here's to you [Justin Hawkins (Darkness):] Raise a glass for everyone [Dizzee Rascal:] Spare a thought this yuletide for the deprived If the table was turned would you survive

[Busted:] Here's to them [Justin Hawkins (Darkness):] Underneath that burning sun [Dizzee Rascal:] You ain't gotta feel guilt just selfless Give a little help to the helpless [Joss Stone & Justin Hawkins:] Do they know it's Christmastime at all? [Tom Chaplin:] Feed the world [Tom Chaplin & Chris Martin:] Feed the world [Tom Chaplin & Chris Martin & Sugababes:] Feed the world [Tom Chaplin & Chris Martin & Sugababes:] Feed the world [Everyone in full chorus line.] Feed the world Let them know it's Christmastime again - [repeated] [Group of ten:] Feed the world [Everyone in full chorus line.] Feed the world - [repeated to end] [Joss Stone ] [Ad libs over outro]

Present Perfect

Present Perfect

1) USES:
- Past actions at an unspecified time---> Peter has gone to the cinema

- Past actions with present result--->Susan has caught a cold so she is in bed.

- Duration from past until now --->We have been friends for years

- Actions just finished ---> Paul has just finished the exam

2) FORM:
- Affirmative: have/has + past participle*
- Negative: haven't/hasn't + past participle
- Interrogative: have/has + subject + past participle

* Past Participle formation: Regular verbs add -ed to form the past participle and irregular verbs have different forms so you must study your list of irregular verbs.
-------------> Examples: regular verb: I work - I have worked ; irregular verb: I go - I have gone

3) TIME EXPRESSIONS:
- Already: Peter has already finished the exam
- Ever: Have you ever been to London?
- Never: I have never been to Italy.
- Just: They have just made the cake.
- Yet: I haven't finished the exam yet.
- For: I have studied for 2 hours.
- Since: I have studied here since 2004.
- How long...?: How long have you studied here?

Present Perfect Tense

4) ACTIVITIES:

- Grammar and exercises (ego4u)
- Games: The Euro, Uses, Past Simple or Present Perfect
- Statements, Negation, Questions, Since or For, Review, Test (englishhilfen)
- Video
- Karaoke (We are the Champions by Queen)

December's Special Dates

Christmas

25 December

Christmas, also referred to as Christmas Day or Christmastide, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that marks and honors the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. His birth, which is the basis for the anno Domini system of dating, has been determined by modern historians as having occurred between 7 and 2 BC. The date of celebration is not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth. It may have been chosen to coincide with the winter solstice, which the ancient Romans celebrated on December 25.
Modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, church celebrations, and the display of various decorations—including the Christmas tree, lights, mistletoe, nativity scenes and holly. Santa Claus (also referred to as Father Christmas, although the two figures have different origins) is a popular mythological figure often associated with bringing gifts at Christmas. Santa is generally believed to be the result of a syncretization between St. Nicholas of Myra and elements from pagan Nordic and Christian mythology, and his modern appearance is believed to have originated in 19th century media. (Wikipedia)

- Games

- Christmas around the world

- Vocabulary

- Vocabulary review

- Activities

- Karaoke: Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock

- We wish you a Merry Christmas (song and activities)

- A Christmas Carol by C. Dickens (AUDIO)

- Nightmare Before Christmas -What's this? (VIDEO)
- Links (Isabel Pérez)

Hanukkah

21-29 December

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. An extra light called a shamash, is also lit each night, and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b-23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing and meditating on the Hanukkah story. (Wikipedia)

- Vocabulary quiz

- All about Chanukah

- The story

- Games

- Coloring pages

Boxing Day

26 December

Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Greece. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society. Contemporary Boxing Day in Canada is a "shopping holiday" associated with after Christmas sales.
It is usually celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day; however, its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if 26 December is a Saturday or Sunday. The movement of Boxing Day varies between countries. (Wikipedia)

- Information

- Boxing Day in England

- Listening

- Quiz

New Year's Eve
31 December

New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Year's Day. New Year's Eve is a separate observance from the observance of New Year's Day. In modern Western practice, New Year's Eve is celebrated with parties and social gatherings spanning the transition of the year at midnight.
Many cultures use fireworks and other forms of noise making in part of the celebration. Some of the cities most well-known for their celebrations include Edinburgh, Sydney, Toronto, Moscow, Tokyo, Rome, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and New York City. (Wikipedia)

- Resolutions (advanced)

- Themes by British Council

- Webquest

- Wordsearch

- Auld Lang Syne: Lyrics, Video

"Elementary, my dear Watson"

Sherlock Holmes appears first in print on the 1st December 1887. He is the creation of Scottish-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based consulting detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of "deductive reasoning" while using abductive reasoning and astute observation to solve difficult cases.

Many people believed that the famous detective, lived and worked at22B Baker Street, London. The fictional character was in fact created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the 1880s, and the address doesn’t exist.

FACT OR FICTION? (Adapted from IT's Magazine)

Films include many action heroes – Iron Man, Speed Racer, Indiana Jones, The Incredible Hulk and Batman. But did any of these heroes actually exist, or are they all fictional?
Earlier this year, a television station in Britain asked 3,000 young people a series of questions about famous factual and fictional people. They wanted to find out ifanyone knew which of the people existed in real life and which were fictional characters.
Which names do you think are real people and which are fictional characters?
King Arthur, Winston Churchill, Cleopatra, Robinson Crusoe, Charles Dickens, Gandhi, Lady Godiva, Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, Michael Jackson, Indiana Jones, Mona Lisa, Iron Man, Florence Nightingale, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, The Three Musketeers, Sir Walter Raleigh, Eleanor Rigby, The Duke of Wellington.
According to UKTV, the TV station that carried out the survey, King Arthur is the fictional figure that most people in Britain (65%) believe existed and had a round table in Camelot. Half of those surveyed (51%) also believed that Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest during the 14th century, robbing the rich to give to the poor. Eleanor Rigby was the name of a fictional character in a Beatles song, but 47% of young people believed she was a real person. People were also confused when they tried to identify real historical figures. A surprising 21% thought that Winston Churchill, possibly Britain’s most famous Prime Minister, was a fictional character. And over a quarter (27%) thought pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale was fictional.Paul Moreton of UKTV said, “Stories like Robin Hood are so inspiring that it’s not surprising people like to believe these characters truly existed.”

Sources: Wikipedia, IT'S Magazine

- The Sherlock Holmes Museum

- Adventure Games

Contest: My Advent Calendar

Our Christmas contest is here! Can you create your own Advent Calendar?

RULES: 1) You can use any theme, any material. 2) Click on the links to look for information and ideas. 3) Be creative and original. 4) Deadline:19th December 5) Have fun! PRIZE: umm, let me think...we'll ask the 3 Wise Men! Good luck!

- Wikipedia - Online Advent Calendar - Countdown to Christmas (activities) - Pictures (Flickr) - History - Advent tree - Crafts

Past simple and continuous (more practice)

The Idiot Test

I bet you aren't an idiot. Are you brave enough to take this test? Click on the picture and follow the instructions.

Cheer up!

Freeze My Senses

When we watch the Christmas Lottery spot, we know Christmas is coming. This year the music used in the commercial is "Freeze my senses" by Lionel Neykov. Listen to the song and read about this young singer. (Thanks to Ana)

- Myspace

- Garage Band

Song lyrics | Freeze My Senses lyrics

Ana's contribution

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you wearing?

Clothes (For beginners)


- Can you colour her clothes?
- Matching clothes
- Cards matching
- Wordsearch
- Quiz
- Hangman
- Puzzle and song
- Short story
- English-Spanish games
- Dress-up games

Sources: englishbanana.com, British Council,

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, 27th November

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a traditional North American holiday, and is a form of harvest festival. The date and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members.

- Send E-cards

- You are the Historian, investigating the first Thanksgiving (audio needed)

- Story and quiz

- Vocabulary

- Vocabulary (youtube)

- DLTK 's activities (coloring pages, crafts, games, poems, recipes, printables)

- Black Friday (article and listening)

- ESL KidStuff's games and activities

- Webquest

- Quiz

- Kaboose's games

- More games

- Crossword

- Wordsearch

Sources: istockphoto, wipipedia,

Say NO

International Day for the Elimination of Violence

25th November

Song lyrics | Rain On Me lyrics

Harry Potter

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

July 2009

- Official site

- Wikipedia

- Activities and links (Isabel Pérez)

- Games

- Listening (BBC)

- Pronunciation