What do you think?

What do you know about Dickens? by Anateacher

2012-02-05T18:46:00.001+01:00

What do you know about Dickens? by Anateacher

I wonder How, I wonder Why

2012-01-29T11:17:00.002+01:00

Sing along! I wonder How, I wonder why
You will find two videos. The first one is for you to learn the lyrics. The second one is so that you can try on your own.

Are you ready??

Knick Knack

2012-01-29T10:55:00.002+01:00

You are going to watch a video about the worst luck of a snowman. Watch carefully because I want you to tell me the story afterwards using connectors and details. Try to explain how you think the snowman must feel. Remember to brainstorm ideas and feelings you got from watching the video and write them down on a first draft to organise your final writing.
Pay attention also to the music, I want you to find out how it is performed.
If you had to create a title for this little video What would that be?

What is Christmas all about?

2011-11-20T18:54:00.004+01:00

Do you like Christmas?
Here is an advert which has become a great hit? Why do you think people like it?
Before watching it write down some predictions about what you think it's going to happen in this little ad.
Watch it and write about it. What makes us think the boy is feeling very impatient? How can we tell time passes very slowly for him? Why is the final "turn" a bit unexpected for us? What do you think is the best thing about giving presents? What is the best present you have ever given? What is the best present you have ever received?

Packing

2010-11-17T15:58:00.004+01:00

Have you ever had a hard time packing? Do you usually have trouble making up your mind about what to include in a suitcase?
What would you include in your suitcase if you were going to be a globtrotter for a month?

Now try to explain how this guy packed. In your opinion did he forget about anything important? Would you have included something in your suitcase he didn't?

The Italian Man Who went to Malta.

2010-11-09T21:26:00.002+01:00

Work on your pronunciation! There are some bad words here you don't want to say!

The Story of Stuff

2010-11-09T20:43:00.004+01:00

What do you think this Indian proverb means? What is it trying to tell us? Do you think it is still true 150 years later? What is, from your point of view, the main reason for the destruction of our planet? Do you think you are part of the problem or part of the solution? Try to explain, in your own words, whether you agree with the saying or not. Then watch the video. What have you learnt by watching the video that you didn't know or weren't aware of?

Ladies and Gentlemen wear Sunscreen

2008-12-11T22:18:00.008+01:00

Here is a video Helena, from 1º Bachillerato, felt like sharing with us. I have included the one with subtitles in Portuguese rather than the one in Spanish to keep you from reading! Just listen! If you have any trouble understanding some bits, listen again while you read the transcript you have below. What do you think of it? Share your comments! Don't forget to give reasons of why you think what you think!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of 99

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience

I will dispense this advice now:

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind... you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked

You’re not as fat as you imagine

Dont worry about the future; or worry but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind (the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday)

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Dont be reckless with other people’s hearts, dont put up with people who are reckless with yours

Floss

Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and in the end, it’s only with yourself

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this tell me how

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements

Stretch

Dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didnt know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t

Get plenty of calcium

Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone

Maybe you’ll marry maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40 maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary

What ever you do, dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either (your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s). Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, dont be afraid of it or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own...

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room

Read the directions even if you don’t follow them

DO NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good

Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young

Live in New York City once but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once but leave before it makes you soft

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old. And when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders

Respect your elders

Dont expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out

Dont mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40, it will look 85

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth

But trust me on the sunscreen...

Check this song out

2008-11-23T20:49:00.004+01:00

Do you remember the Five friends video? Of course you do! Well you know there was a second part (which you can watch and listen to clicking on the link provided) and a little silly song they created to entretain people while they were waiting to register.

Here it is.

If you don’t vote, then you are a jerk.
Don´t be afraid, it doesn’t hurt!

So come on, come on

If you don’t vote then you are a fool
And that ain’t cool

So come on, yeah, come on

You may not want to stand in line
But it’s only time

So come on, yeah, come on

Because it’s only one day of your life
To make things right.

Come on! Come on! Vote!

Do you understand me?

2008-02-09T18:56:00.000+01:00

"Hola! Yo estar Americano. Yo entender poquito español pero no poder hablo. Venir unos días hace a Madrid y yo gusto mucho, estar muy bonito.
personas hablar muy rápido y yo no entender todos las personas decir."

Do you think you can get the message of this poor tourist who has come to Madrid to improve his English? He will definetely get better because he is trying.
As I always tell you in class, please do not be afraid to write or speak! Since this is a blog I will insist on the writing bit now. I want you to try it. I want you to express yourself in English. Do not worry about making mistakes! try to make yourself understandable!
So...here is an assignment for you, if you want to try it. You will watch a couple of videos. I want you to tell me the story, and what feelings there are behind it. Have you ever felt like any of the characters in the story? Share, we want your anecdotes.

Have you ever felt sad? Have you ever felt so unhappy that you thought nobody could cheer you up? Have you ever tried to cheer somebody up? Have you ever felt like some of the characters in this story? Write the story using "First", "then", "after that" and other connectors. Do some brainstorming to come up with vocabulary first. Be creative, use your imagination!

Why I am a hooligan

2008-02-09T18:04:00.000+01:00

Hi there!
My name is Ana, but some of you at the I.E.S. Valdemorillo think I am Juli.
What many of you don't know is what Juli stands for.
This is how it all began.
A few years ago I was teaching a group of 3ºESO students who were always talking and interrupting the lessons doing weird things. You know how nervous I get in class, you all know about my yelling and how I always want to do too many things in class. I sometimes feel some of the things I want you to do with me are not possible if the class is chaotic. And that particular day some of my students were giving me a hard time, I kept checking my watch because I could see how I was running out of time and how I was using it up to ask them to be quiet. Things weren't quite working out so I got really angry and said out loud: "YOU ARE ALL HOOLIGANS!".
All of a sudden, they all stopped talking and looked at me. The bell rang.
I felt funny. I didn't really know what to do. I am a teacher, you know... and the trouble is that I can't always behave like a teacher. So I let it be, after all there wasn't much I could do about it now, the words had already been spoken...
The thing is every time I bumped into some of the students in that class they would greet me :"Hi, hooligan!" and since it had been me the one that had started the "war", I couldn't help but smiling. Day after day, week after week, they would greet me the same way, even omitting the Hi! and so all they would say is Hooligan!. When they wanted to be more affectionate or reduce the risk of getting a parte they would short it out with Hooli.
It's amazing how quickly some things spread. Soon all the students at the IES were calling me Hooligan or Hooli. But the ones who didn't know me and were just repeating what they had heard thought my name was Juli, and Juli I remain.
The ones in 1ºESO think I am Juli, which, quite honestly, is an option I prefer!. I don't think hooligans are an example to follow, and I'd rather interpret the term loosely.
One day I went down to the cafeteria to tell Almudena, the lady who runs the business, to write me down on her list of teachers who wanted to stay for lunch that day. I was most surprised when I saw her write "juligan" on her white blackboard. She looked at me and said: "What is this, your surname?"
So, thanks Mochu, thanks Harry...you are the ones to blame.
Moraleja: "Rebota, rebota y en tu culo explota"