VOA News

Good evening everyone!!

Today I'd like to show you a very interesting webpage I usually recommend to my students: 

VOA News

One of the first things I do every morning when I wake up and before going to bed is reading the news. I normally read two or three different newspapers in Spanish in order to have my own opinion of the facts and, at least, a foreign newspaper. 

That's why I believe it would be a great idea for you to visit VOA NEWS, since it is a site which is focused on English Learning through news. There are three different levels and you can read and listen to the audio to check your understanding. It's fantastic! You can improve your vocabulary about many different topics as well as your listening skills!

I hope you like it! :)

More films to watch + more writing tips

Hey guys!!

How are you doing today?? Have you been studying for the exam? I hope so! :P 

I believe at this point you know how much I love watching films and TV series. Well, guess what? Today I'd like to recommend two more great films you can watch on the TV in order to practice your listening skills. Apart from that, you can learn some new vocabulary and, what is even more important, you can have fun while you are learning English!! Actually, I know for a fact that some of you wanted to do this so...

let's cut to the chase!! (¡vamos al grano!)

16:00 TVE
Catch me if you can (Atrápame si puedes)

Biography, Crime, Drama
Year: 2002
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken.
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars' worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/

And especially... 

22:00 Antena 3

Argo 

Year: 2012
Drama - Thriller
Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman

Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1980. More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/

Both are fantastic movies, with well known and talented actors. Besides, "Argo" won several Oscars, including Best Motion Picture (Mejor película) last year. Come on! What are you waiting for??

By the way, in order to help you improve your writing skills, I have uploaded several documents for you to have a look, which are the following:

Writing reference 1 and Writing reference 2 (common mistakes, connectors, brainstorming, etc.)

Especially for 1st Upper intermediate students (unit 2): How to write a Biography 1 and 2

Especially for 2nd Upper intermediate students (unit 1): How to write a narrative essay 1 and 2

More examples:
How to write a discussion essay 1 and 2

How to write a topic essay 1 and 2

Aaaand that's all folks!! See you on Tuesday and do not hesitate to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions or doubts before the exam!! :)

Take care!

Grammar practice

Hi everyone!!

As you may know, we have our first exam next week which is why I have decided to publish a new post with some webs where you can practice what we have seen in class!

For 1st Upper Intermediate: 

Pronouns

Possessives, present simple and present continuous, questions, etc.
Present simple test
Past simple test
Gerunds and infinitives space game

For 2nd Upper Intermediate:
The past: past simple and past continuous, present perfect + past simple
Past perfect simple and past perfect continuous
Present perfect and past simple
Future will or going to

Very useful summary for Bachillerato: 
How to write compositions, questions, connectors, verb tenses, conditionals, reported speech, irregular verbs, etc.
Some great guidelines for Selectividad and some more here!

And...
More exercises with answer key
More printable exercises for Bachillerato
More interactive tests (on grammar)

And remember, if you would like to practice a little bit more, send your compositions to me and I will correct them! :)

Have a nice afternoon and see you tomorrow!! :)

For movie fans

Hi guys!!!

It is Saturday and it's pouring down! What a storm!! It's even scary!!! You should better have candles around just in case!!! 

Well if you are home because of the rain, I advise you to turn on your TV and watch "Batman: the Dark Knight" (by the way, in ENGLISH please!!!) which is airing on Antena 3 right now!! 

As you may know, the second part of the Batman trilogy and sequel to "Batman begins", is a superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and includes amazing actors such as Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman or the late Heath Ledger who won an oscar for his incredible performance as the Joker. 

So come, turn on your TV, put it in English (and you can also use the subtitles for hearing-impaired people on your TV) and enjoy this impressive film!! And don't forget to pay attention to the film's music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Come on, it's started only a few minutes ago!!! Let's practice!

P.S:  And if you like Batman and superhero movies, there is a new TV series you should check out!! Its name is "Gotham" and it talks about the origin of this hero. I'm sure you'll like it!

Have a nice loooong weekend!! :)

How to write an informal letter or email

Hi guys!! 

As you know, nowadays we barely write letters. Instead, we usually send emails. They can be professional emails or informal emails. Here you have some tips!! (you can download the image on "Guardar imagen como" to see it bigger!)

For CICLO students: You must write an informal email to a friend to tell him or her about your weekend.

Vocab: barely (apenas)

Have a nice afternoon!! :)

Classroom language

Hi guys!! 

I hope you had a great weekend!! Are you ready for a whole new week? 

Learning a language takes a lot of practice. It is a not a chip in your brain! That's why, you must do something everyday. For example, watching Tv series or movies, reading books and listening to music are awesome ways to master English. All you need is perseverance. 

So, in order to practice as much as possible, I would like to show you a list of expressions you can use in class so that you can make the most of our lessons. Please have a look at them and try to use them!! Don't be shy! It is the best way to improve your speaking level! :) 

1. Who is absent today?  --   ¿Quién falta hoy?
2. Get out/Open your books  --Sacad/Abrid los libros
3. Look at exercise.....on page....  --- Fijaos en el ejercicio....de la página...
4. Who knows the answer?  --- ¿Alguien sabe la respuesta?
5. What page/exercise is it? --- ¿Qué pagina/ejercicio es?
6. What did you say?  --- ¿Qué has dicho?
7. Can I come in? Can I go out?  -- ¿Puedo entrar/salir?
8. Can I borrow......?  --- ¿Puedo pedir prestado...?
9. Can you repeat that, please? --- ¿Puedes repetirlo, por favor?
10. I don't understand it --- No lo entiendo
11. Can you speak more slowly please?  --- ¿Puedes hablar un poco más despacio?
12. Can I pull down/up the blinds?  --¿Puedo bajar/subir las persianas?
13. What's the meaning of.......?    --- ¿Qué significa.....?
14. How do you pronounce...? --- ¿Cómo se pronuncia...?
15. I can't see the board. Can you step aside?  --- No veo la pizarra. ¿Puedes apartarte?
16. When is the homework for? ---- ¿Para qué día son los deberes?
17. Can I switch on/off the lights/fan?  --- ¿Puedo encender/apagar las luces/ventilador?
18. Can I open/close the window?  --- ¿Puedo abrir/cerrar la ventana?
19. Shall I help him/her?   --- ¿Le ayudo?
20. Get in pairs/Form groups of three  --- Poneos en parejas/en grupos de tres
21. Work independently  --- Trabajad de manera individual
22. There are still five minutes to go  --- Todavía quedan cinco minutos
23. We still have a couple of minutes left  --- Todavía quedan un par de minutos
24. We have run out of time  -- Nos hemos quedado sin tiempo
25. Have a good weekend/afternoon ----Que paséis un buen fin de semana/tarde

More vocab: master (dominar), whole (entero, completo), perseverance (constancia, perseverancia), improve (mejorar).

And that's all, folks!! See you on Tuesday!!