Fifth year - 5CAL - Thursday 29 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities on vocabulary.

- Vocabulary: the environment

- Speaking: the environment and family


- Oral presentation: Valladolid

- Listening: review (binge drinking)


Homework:

Complete all the activities from the worksheets (world issues)

Listening: The environment in Britain

Watch the following video and answer the questions below:



1. When did the government first create National Parks in Britain, and why?
2. England’s population:
3. Where's the Peak District?
4. What is smog? What happened in Britain in 1952 with smog?
5. What ecological law is mentioned?
6. What does the video say about transport (private and public) in Britain?
7. What happens in the High Street in Oxford?
 8. Reasons why people go to the Peak District National Park.

• Person 1:
• Person 2:
• Person 3:
• Person 4:
• Person 5:
• Person 6:

Click here to check your answers.

Vocabulary: the environment

Watch the following videos to practise vocabulary about the environment and its pronunciation:

Fifth year - 5ºA - Wednesday 28 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Present perfect: pronunciation

- Speaking: present perfect

- Vocabulary: social issues

- Speaking: the environment

- Listening: environmental groups


Homework:

- Activities on present perfect on page 131


- Activities on world issues in the worksheets I gave on Monday

Fifth year - 5CAL - Tuesday 27 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities on present perfect

- Speaking: present perfect. Click here to read the questions

- Vocabulary: social issues. Click here to read the worksheets.

- Speaking: world issues. Click here to see the questions.

- Listening: review.


Homework:

- Complete the last activity in the first worksheet on world issues.

Fifth year - 5ºA - Monday 26 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Speaking: social issues

- Vocabulary: natural disasters

- Vocabulary: social issues. Click here to have a look at the worksheets.

- Speaking: social issues. Click here to read the questions.

- Grammar: Present perfect simple and continuous.


Homework:

Complete the last vocabulary activity from the first worksheet.

Fifth year - 5CAL - Thursday 22 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Reading: comic relief

- Grammar: present perfect simple / present perfect continuous


- Vocabulary: Social issues

- Speaking: social issues

- Vocabulary: natural disasters

Homework: 

- Grammar: page 131, activities 2.1

Thanksgiving: Other traditions

These are other traditions for Thanksgiving's Day:

- Help people in need in food banks or soup kitchens.



- Watch football games



- Watch the parade, especially Macy's in New York

Thanksgiving: What do people eat on Thanksgiving?

These are the things Americans eat on their special holiday.

1. Roast turkey

2. Stuffing

3. Gravy

4. Sweet potatoes / yams

5. Cranberry sauce

6. Corn bread

7. Mashed potatoes

8. Pumpkin Pie

B2: Listening: The first Thanksgiving

Today Americans celebrate Thanksgiving's Day. Watch the following video and answer the questions below.






1. Why were some people unhappy in England?
2. Where did these people settle down after they left England?
3. What problems did they find there?
4. What was the name of the ship they set out on for America?
5. What problems did they find on board of the ship?
6. HOw long did they sail for?
7. Who was Squanto?
8. What did Squanto teach the pilgrims?
9. why did the pilgrims decide to have a celebration?
10. What did they cook for that celebration?
11. How were the Indians dressed?
12. Where did the first Thanksgiving's feast take place?

Click here to check your answers.

If you want to watch something funny, click on the following link: Thanksgiving's funny videos 

Vocabulary: Natural disasters

Watch the following video to practise the vocabulary and pronunciation:

Fifth year - 5ºA - Wednesday 21 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: Vocabulary (television and sports)

- Listening and speaking: recommending an activity


- Reading: Comic relief

- Vocabulary: social issues.



Homework:

- Complete the activities on page 149 about world issues.

Fifth year - 5CAL - Tuesday 20 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: vocabulary (television)

- Vocabulary: sports

- Speaking: Television.

- Listening and speaking: recommending an activity.


Homework:

- Read the text on page 20



Important: Exam dates

- Tuesday 11 December: Reading

- Thursday 13 December: Listening and writing

- Tuesday 18 December: Speaking

Fifth year - 5ºA - Monday 19 November 2012

Summary of the class:


- Vocabulary: television. Click here to read the worksheet

- Listening: Game shows

- Speaking: Guess the sport / game

- Speaking: television


Homework:

- Vocabulary: Complete the last two activities in the worksheet on television

- Vocabulary: page 150... sports


Important note:

As from Wednesday 21 November classes will take place in Jovellanos


Exam dates:

- Monday 10 December: Reading

- Wednesday 12 December: Listening and writing

- Monday 17 December: Speaking

Videos: game shows

Here are some videos as examples of the game shows mentioned in the book.


Hole In the Wall




 The Weakest Link

Fifth year - 5CAL - Thursday 15 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct exercises: future / collective nouns

- Vocabulary and speaking: Travellers' quiz

- Brainstorming: Television

- Vocabulary: television. Click here to see the worksheet

- Listening: game shows

- Speaking: Think of a sport / game and describe it to your partners.



Homework:

- Vocabulary activities on television (worksheet)

Vocabulary: Collective nouns

Fifth year - 5ºA - Wednesday 14 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: Future and collective nouns

- Grammar and speaking: Travellers' Quiz

- Listening and speaking: video podcast

- Brainstorming: Television

Fifth year - 5CAL - Thursday 8 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Future: review

- Future: speaking

- Speaking: niche holidays

- Video podcast: free time

- Grammar: uncountable nouns and plural nouns



Homework: 

- Page 36, 5A

- Page 150: collective nouns

B2. Future: activities

Click on the following link to see some activities on future tenses.

- Predictions - ecology

B2. Listening. American elections

Before listening:




1. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	incumbent	a.	rival
2	opponent	b.	guarantee
3.	nail-biting	c.	complicated
4.	depended on	d.	put up with
5.	secure	e.	sitting
6.	endure	f.	excessively
7.	overly	g.	bulk
8.	faith	h.	tense
9.	complex	i.	belief
10.	majority Listen to the track now and complete the text below:	j.	hinged on

 Americans voted to (1) ________________ incumbent president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the (2) the ___________contests in U.S. history. President Obama saw off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray for Mr Obama in his (3) _________________to re-ignite the American economy. It was a nail-biting (4) ____________________ to what was a long, exhausting, bitter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all depended on several swing (5) ____________________, the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to (6) ________________victory. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House. Many Americans felt relief that the election has now been decided. They had to (7) ____________________dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were overly (8) ____________________ and simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again put their (9) ____________________ in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the odds. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotional(10) ____________________ tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a (11) ____________________ of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to (12) __________________what ails the country."


Writing: Write an essay (225-250 words) about the following topic: It is the duty of everyone to vote in elections. Those who don't should be heavily fined. 


Click here to check your answers. 

Taken from Breaking News English

Fifth year - 5ºA - Wednesday 7 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Future: review

- Future: pronunciation

- Future: speaking

- Speaking: niche holidays

- Grammar: uncountable nouns and plural nouns




Homework: 

- Page 36, 5A

- Page 150: collective nouns

Fifth year - 5CAL - Tuesday 6 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: Travelling. Click here to read the document.

- Reading and speaking. Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night. Click here to read the worksheet.

- Listening: Fifty Things to Do Before You Die.







- Future: review

Homework:

- Read the rules for the different future tenses on page 132.

B2. Bonfire Night. Celebration

On the following video you can watch how English people celebrate Bonfire Night, specifically in Winchester, a town in the South of England.

B2. Listening. Guy Fawkes

Watch this new video on Guy Fawkes. There are subtitles, so it is a good way to practise listening skills and even pronunciation if you read aloud at the same time.

Fifth of November: Bonfire Night

If you want to practise some activities on Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes, click on the picture below:

Fifth year - 5ºA - Monday 5 November 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: vocabulary (travelling). Click here to read the document.

- Reading and speaking: Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night. Click here to read the text

- Presentation: travelling to London

- Presentation: world crisis and things that have changed


- Grammar: future tenses

B2 - Fifty Things to Do Before You Die: Machu Picchu

I found this video very emotional. Now I really would like to go to Machu Picchu. It is a beautiful place indeed Watch the video and complete the activities below:


1. Complete the details about the lady on the video.

Name: Elizabeth ...........
 Age: .........
Marital status: .......

2. What does she say about Cuzco?

3. Why does she say that she might be looked at quite strangely?

 4. Complete the sentence:  

Machu Picchu was thought at one time to be the lost city of the Incas. It's still thought of as a very spiritual place. Lots and lots of people go there as a pilgrimage. My pilgrimage is just to ....


5. What's Elizabeth's conclusion?  

"I've reached a .................. and now I've got to find out what's ............ " 

 Click here to chek your answers.

B2 - Halloween: candy and health

Watch the video about the amount of sugar American people have in their diets:

Halloween - practice

If you want to do some activities on Halloween, this is the link to access past resources I added to the site. Click on the pumpkin to go to the activities.

Book Recommendation: The Girl You Left Behind

Name of the book:The Girl You Left Behind
Author: Jojo Moyes
Number of Pages: 369

I've already mentioned that Jojo Moyes is one of my favourite writers. This is her latest novel. A wonderful journey from the past to the present in the form of a painting.


THis is the plot: What happened to the girl you left behind? France, 1916. Sophie Lefevre must keep her family safe whilst her adored husband Edouard fights at the front. When she is ordered to serve the German officers who descend on her hotel each evening, her home becomes riven by fierce tensions. And from the moment the new Kommandant sets eyes on Sophie's portrait - painted by Edouard - a dangerous obsession is born, which will lead Sophie to make a dark and terrible decision. Almost a century later, and Sophie's portrait hangs in the home of Liv Halston, a wedding gift from her young husband before he died. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and its troubled history. A history that is about to resurface and turn Liv's life upside down all over again . . . 544 pages

B2. Listening: Fifty Things to Do Before You Die

Watch the video below and complete the sentences.

1. We gave Chris a video camera to record his eight-day trek, starting with his somewhat ......... flight from Kathmandu to Lukla.

2. The walking was ........., taking up to 8 hours a day.

3. Then there's .............. to high altitudes

 4. The going may be tough, but it's even tougher for the shepherds carrying the trekkers' ............

 5. Finally after eight days of trekking the destination is in ..........

6. This is the proof that nothing's impossible if you put your ....... to it.


Click here to check your answers.

Fifth year - 5ºA - Wednesday 31 October 2012

Summary of the class:

- Correct activities: used to / video podcast

- Listening: niche holidays


- Vocabulary: locations

- Speaking: holidays. Click here to read the questions

- Listening: Fifty Things To Do Before You Die




Homework:

- Complete the activities from the worksheet on travelling.