domingo, 26 de mayo de 2013

MEMORIAL DAY - USA

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is held on the last Monday of May every year. This holiday is a day of remembrance of those Americans who serve in the military and a way of honoring all the men, women and their families who were in the military and died while serving their country. The military includes the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard, Coast Guard and some civilian groups who work for the military. Soldiers who have retired from the military use this holiday to remember their fellow servicemen and women who died during wars, or while working to protect others.




Before Memorial Day, Americans celebrated a different holiday called Decoration Day that was very similar to the holiday we have now as it served to recognize and remember American soldiers. In 1882, Decoration Day became Memorial Day but many people did not recognize the new name for the holiday. It was not until 1967 that Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday by the United States government, which means businesses, schools and government run buildings are closed in remembrance of the military and all that the people who volunteer their time for serving to protect civilians.



martes, 21 de mayo de 2013

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE

Classroom Vocabulary from Marga Alfonso


 And as they sing here, "Let's work together":
 
 
 




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THE WEATHER

Vocabulary exercises to help learn words for talking about the weather.



Listen, repeat and write


Let's listen to walk through the maze!



Watch the weather history



 What's the weather like in China? What's the weather like in Egypt? Listen to the weather news and put the weather symbols in the right places.


What do you wear when it's hot, cold, ...?:

Become a weather man/woman


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domingo, 19 de mayo de 2013

DENMARK WINS 2013 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST


It was an exciting evening at the Malmö where in front of thousands of people in the arena and millions of people on TV, Emmelie de Forest from Denmark won the 2013 edition of Europe's Favourite TV Show with her song Only Teardrops!



Here is Emmelie's winning performance on stage in Malmö during the Grand Final


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PENTECOST - 19th MAY 2013


Many Christians in the United Kingdom celebrate Pentecost, which is also known as Pentecost Sunday, Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday.
Dove in stained glass
The dove is a popular symbol of the Holy Spirit.
©iStockphoto.com/Chad Jarae

Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the followers of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament. Jesus had told them to wait until the Spirit came to them. Ten days after ascension, 50 days after the resurrection, the Spirit came.
(Ascension Day marks the last appearance of Jesus to the disciples after his resurrection at Easter.)
When is Pentecost?
In 2013 Pentecost will fall on 19 May
What does Pentecost mean?
The name Pentecost comes from a Greek word which means 'fiftieth'.
Why is the festival called Pentecost?
The festival is often called Pentecost because when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to go out and preach about Jesus it was the Jewish festival of Pentecost.
Pentecost is recognised as the birth of the Christian Church. The Apostle Peter preached a sermon which resulted in 3,000 people becoming believers.
Whit Sunday
Whit Sunday is a favourite day for baptism. It is thought that because people are often baptised dressed in white, Whit Sunday was probably originally known as 'White Sunday'.
Whisuntide is the week following with Whitsunday, which is always the seventh sunday after Easter Sunday.





PENTECOST SUNDAY


 Sunday, 19th May 2013
Pentecost Sunday, which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the Virgin Mary, is a moveable feast.
Like the dates of most other moveable feasts, the date of Pentecost Sunday depends on the date of Easter. Pentecost always falls 50 days after Easter (counting both Easter and Pentecost), but since the date of Easter changes every year, the date of Pentecost does as well.


Pentecost comes from the Greek, meaning Fiftieth Day, as it is the 50th Day after Easter Sunday, 10 days after Ascension Day. It was the Greek name for the Jewish festival of Shavuot, although the dates for the two celebrations rarely correspond.
In the Orthodox church, Pentecost falls on the same day as Trinity Sunday.
Pentecost is also known as Whitsunday (the old-English for White Sunday) in the UK and other English speaking areas. 
The day after Pentecost is sometimes called Whit Monday and is a holiday in many countries.
Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts, Chapter 2, when tongues of fire are said to have descended from heaven causing the disciples to start speaking in many different languages and leading to the conversion of some 3,000 witnesses.

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sábado, 18 de mayo de 2013

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY 18th May


Launch of International Museum Day 2013
The worldwide community of museums will celebrate International Museum Day around 18 May, 2013.
This year, the theme of the International Museum Day will be
Museums (memory + creativity) = social change.

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society. Momentum has been rising unabated ever since. In 2012, International Museum Day garnered record‐breaking participation with almost 32,000 museums hosting events in more than 129 countries.



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THE ROCIO PILGRIMAGE

The El Rocío Pilgrimage, one of the biggest in the world and one with the largest crowds, has its origins in the year 1653, when the Virgin of Las Rocinas was appointed Patron Saint of Almonte and it was decided to set aside a feast day for her, which would be on 8th September. In 1758 that date was changed to the "second day of Pentecost" and there was also a change to the Virgin's name, Rocinas, which became Rocío. Furthermore, because of the Holy Spirit connection - the feast being during Pentecost - the Virgin was also given the name of White Dove.
Although the Pilgrimage properly speaking starts on the Saturday, the pilgrims begin this annual event by travelling the pilgrims' trail (which forms part of the whole ritual). This takes a few days, during which time they travel in each others' company, on foot, on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages, sleeping under the stars, until they reach the village.

Many pilgrims say that "El Rocío is travelling the trail" (meaning that travelling the pilgrims' route is the most important part of the pilgrimage) - because during those few days they travel in one another's company, pray, sing, live together as a fraternity, and make their way towards the One for whom they feel such devotion. The duration of the pilgrimage depends on how far the pilgrims' home town or village is from the Almontese village of El Rocío, but it can vary from 1 to 7 days.



viernes, 17 de mayo de 2013

GOING TO

FORM:

Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
I'm going to travel
You're going to travel

He's going to travel
She's going to 
travel 
It's going to travel

We're going to travel
You're going to travel
They're going to travel
I'm not going to travel
You aren't going to travel

He isn't going to travel
She isn't going to travel
It isn't going to travel
We aren't going to travel
You aren't going to travel
They aren't going to travel
Am I going to travel ?
Are you going to travel?

Is he going to travel?
Is she going to travel?
Is it going to travel?
Are we going to travel?
Are you going to travel?
Are they going to travel?


USE:

Uses
Examples
http://www.isabelperez.com/happy/images/arrow_2.gif Future plans and intentions
Planes e intenciones (normalmente decisiones ya tomadas)
http://www.isabelperez.com/happy/images/arrow_2.gif I'm going to buy a new mobile phone next week
http://www.isabelperez.com/happy/images/arrow_2.gif Predictions based on what we can see at that moment
Prediciones basadas en lo que se ve venir en ese momento
http://www.isabelperez.com/happy/images/arrow_2.gif Look at that car! it is going to crash into the lamp post

FormUseContrast
 Exercise 1
 Exercise 2 
 Exercise 
 Exercise1 Exercise 2 


GOING TO - FUTURE


There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are several future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.
We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.
  • I'm going to see him later today.
  • They're going to launch it next month.
  • We're going to have lunch first.
  • She's going to see what she can do.
  • I'm not going to talk for very long.
Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.
  • When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
  • In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.
We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.
  • Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
  • Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
  • These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
  • You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.
We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.
  • I'm going out later.
  • She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.



Exercises on going to Future

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jueves, 16 de mayo de 2013

GAZPACHO DAY - 17th MAY MALAGA




The coming Friday  May 17th, the “Día del Gazpacho” (Gazpacho Day) will be celebrated in Malaga. 2013 will be the second edition of Gazpacho Day, which is a tribute to this refreshing, healthy and typically Andalusian drink, which has conquered both our hearts and our palates. During Gazpacho Day, gazpacho kits will be sold in the Central Market. These packets will include everything you need to whip up a tasty gazpacho at home. Supermarket chain Eroski in the shopping centre Larios has also signed up to the initiative, and during the day will be offering free samples of gazpacho from its own brand line. Another business that’s joined forces with Gazpacho Day in Málaga is olive oil brand Hojiblanca, which will be giving out bottles of extra virgin during the day. Last (but not least), there’ll be a score of restaurants in the city that will be offering bowls of gazpacho at a practically symbolic price.




Gazpacho Day is organised by the association “Málaga Sana” (healthy Málaga), which aims to promote healthy eating, based on a Mediterranean diet and homemade food. It also forms a part of the initiative “Food Revolution”, headed by British TV chef Jamie Oliver, whose objective is to fight obesity and the illnesses associated with being overweight.


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viernes, 3 de mayo de 2013

THIRD CONDITIONAL GRAMMAR AND EXERCISES


We can use the Third Conditional to talk about 'impossible' conditions, impossible because they are in the past and we cannot change what has happened.
  • If I had worked harder at school, I would have got better grades.
  • If I had had time, I would have gone to see him. But I didn't have time.
  • If we had bought that house, we would have had to rebuild the kitchen.
  • If we had caught the earlier train, we would have got there on time but we were late.
  • If I had had money, I would have been happy

Notice that the main clause can contain 'would', 'could' or 'might.
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I would have asked him. (But he wasn't there so I didn't.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I could have asked him. ( But he wasn't there so it wasn't possible.)
  • If I had seen him at the meeting, I might have asked him. (But I'm not sure. Perhaps if the opportunity had arisen.)
  • If I had paid more attention in class, I would have understood the lesson.

Also notice that sometimes the 'if clause' is implied rather than spoken.
  • I'd have done it. ("if you had asked me but you didn't.")
  • I wouldn't have said that. ("if I'd been there.")
  • He wouldn't have let him get away with that. ("if he had tried that with me.")


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jueves, 2 de mayo de 2013

THE STORY OF KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON


Probably most of you have seen this logo in many different places with many different versions. This is its origin.

At the beginning of the Second World War, the British goverment created this logo to cheer people up, as the future seemed quite difficult. None of these posters were used and in 2000 one of them was discovered in a second-hand bookshop . Now watch the story






Thanks to Rosa's room blog.



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IRREGULAR VERBS EXERCISES

Here you have several exercises to revise Irregular Verbs.

I hope you will like revising irregular verbs with this online exercise by Victoria Ladybug



Online activity to practice the simple past/ irregular verbs. 


Choose the correct word and choose the verb that matches the pictures.





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