LINKS

:-)

Sunday 29 November 2009

Modern Technology

If you like the topic of science and technology, you may be interested in this website about modern inventions such as the female urinal. Well, we try to cater for most tastes.

Eternal Youth

And for those of you who want to recycle to structures and vocabulary from the text in 2B about eternal youth, here's a reconstruction activity. If you like this, you can also change the option to do the same activity for part 2 of the text.

Future perfect and future continuous

Are you still confused about which future verb structure to use? Here's an exercise to help you. Enjoy it!

Science and Computers

Here's another link to the English File website - this time you can practise the computer and science vocabulary in a wordsearch. Have fun!

Wednesday 25 November 2009

'Buttered scone Billy?' 'Yeah, and some Coffee, please'

A Short Film about Cowboys and Coffee.The 1950 classic Western 'Winchester 73' - directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart - has been ruthlessly cut down, the sub text removed and its true narrative revealed at last...caffeine addiction.



Ah, this explains a lot, Caffeine addiction and loaded guns, not a good mix.Now Tea is what they should have been drinking, then it wouldn't have been the 'Wild West', it would have been the'Mild West'.

Black Coffee

More than half of Americans drink coffee everyday. That's about 330 million cups a day. Some drink it for the flavor or the warmth, but most drink it for the caffeine.
Caffeine is one of the fastest acting drugs on the body, and many of us are thankful for it in the morning. As we found out, some coffees might be a bit more of a pick-me-up than others. Many of us need a little lift when starting our day. That's where a cup of joe can give you the jolt to get you going.




Sunday 22 November 2009

Thriller as you've never heard it.

If you haven't already been sent this youtube video link, here is Michael Jackson as you have never heard him. I always thought Mary Sánchez was thrilling!






Saturday 21 November 2009

Swine flu - 1976!!!

Ok so you thought swine flu was new, did you? Did you know it was around in 1976 and died out very quickly (rather than killing the entire population as the advert below seemed to suggest would happen). This was part of a major campaign based on fear to get a vaccination (a shot). It makes you think about how irrational fear can sometimes be provoked! Some bloggers think that it was a campaign just to get people to buy the vaccine and so bring profit to the pharmaceutical companies (in the USA anyway, where they don't have a public health service). They also think the same thing is happening again now. What do you think? Leave a comment.


10 Things about a Cold

Here's another text-building activity to revise your knowledge of words and structures from Unit 2A based on part 1 of the text we read: '10 Things about a Cold'. When you've finished, why not try part two of the text? Simply change the text selection title to 'Part 2'. Remember you can choose to omit anything from 25% to 100% of the words and see how long it takes you to reconstruct the text. Obviously it will help you to read the text beforehand. Good luck!

Yet another recipe - Carrot cake


I know, I know - the jornadas culturales are over and we've had our cake and eaten it! But I just couldn't resist sending you this link to a very traditional cake - carrot cake. Look at it and I'm sure you'll agree it looks completely irresistible.

Click here to find out how to make it. By the way, 'to have your cake and eat it' means to have two things which would normally be contradictory e.g. you want to save money and go on a cruise around the world so you want to have your cake and eat it! The idea behind this idiom is that if you have eaten your cake, you don't have it any more, but if you are greedy (or just plain lucky) you can still eat it again even after you've eaten it!!!




Monday 16 November 2009

How to make perfect Irish scones

An Irish cook shows you how to make perfect Irish scones in less than three minutes
CLICK HERE to see an example of the recipes you can prepare to participate in the Cake Competition. Remember to send your cake recipe (as soon as possible) to arucaseoi@gmail.com and bring your cake on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Yummy!

Friday 13 November 2009

Jornadas culturales - timetable

Click here to see the timetable of activities for the cultural days next week. Remember, you will be expected to attend in your usual lesson time (apart from the morning class which will all start at 9:30) but you are welcome to come to any other activity. We're looking forward to seeing you and can't wait to try out the cakes, read your mini sagas and join in the fun with you next week.

Ideas for mini sagas


click here for some hints to help you write a mini saga. We are looking forward to reading it. Remember to write exactly 50 words.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

JORNADAS CULTURALES

YES!!! We are having some cultural days at the EOI Arucas and you are all invited to come. Activities will be on Tuesday and Wednesday evening and Thursday morning (17th-19th November). Of course you will be expected to come in your lesson time but you are free to come to any of the other activities - more information at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, you can start getting ready by preparing a cake recipe for the cake competition. Send it to arucaseoi.gmail.com and bring your cake to be judged on Wednesday evening (around 5.30) or Thursday morning (around 11am). Mmmmm - my taste buds are coming alive already!

If cooking isn't your thing, then why not take part in the mini saga competition? Write a story of no more than 50 words and hand it in to your teacher in order to compete. Here are two examples:




Nobody's Perfect

At school he had been no good at maths, but outstanding at writing and reading. But who needs arithmetic? He entered the competition with enthusiasm, and produced a brilliant, witty, profound, and paradoxical story. He was inspired. it was an absolute masterpiece. The judges sighed. Another one with 51 words.





Like Mother, like Son

1955
Dear Mummy
I hate this boarding school. Food awful, prefects bully me.
Please take me home.
Love, David.
.
Dear David
Nonsense! Chin up.
Mother
.
1997
Dear David
I hate this home. Food awful, nurses treat me like a child.
Fetch me immediately.
Mother

Dear Mother
Nonsense! Chin up.
David



Listening practice for health and fitness

Feel like doing some extra practice on the topic of health. Try out this interactive exercise about healthy habits and this one about an unfortunate accident. Good luck and happy listening. If you like these, then why not listen to more from the main menu on http://www.esl-lab.com/?

Zero and first conditional, and future time clauses.

Confused when to say 'unless' and 'in case' when referring to the future? Do you keep forgetting to use the present tenses after 'if' and then 'will' in the second half of the sentence? Well, this interactive exercise will help you to sort out a few of your problems. Click here to try it.

Thursday 5 November 2009

Your Local Pharmacy

Watch this video about the local pharmacy in Britain and decide which of the sentences on your photocopy are true. Answers to be given in class. This video comes from the National Health website www.nhs.uk . You can watch many videos about health and medicine to practise your listening skills in this area.



Firework night! 5th November.

5th November is a national celebration of a Catholic man called Guy Fawkes who tried to blow up the British Parliament in the 17th Century. He was caught, tortured and hanged. As a 'celebration', the British build bonfires and let off fireworks. I'm sure it's not a celebration of the death penalty or religious warfare, but is just an excuse for a firework display. In Britain, people aren't as used to fireworks as in Spain so there is always a lot of publicity to prevent accidents. Here is the official video telling people how to be safe. Click here to watch.

Swine flu - British advert

In Britain, the latest flu virus is still called 'swine flu'. 'Swine' is a formal word for 'pig'. Here's the 30 second advert to spread the slogan (and not the virus): 'Catch it, bin it, kill it' . You can watch it with or without the subtitles by clicking on the T to change the option. Click here to watch it.

Health and medicine vocabulary

Click here to practise health and medicine vocabulary from unit 2A.