Happy Christmas!

Sorry we didn't have time to listen to this song with your group, Intermediate 1 B! You can watch the beautiful videoclip and listen to the song now.

This is my way to wish you all, HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Coldplay, what else? 

Thank you for the cake, Tatiana! It was delicious and really nice of you!!! 

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Reading Intermediate 1

Hello everybody!

We are going to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde in class. 

It's a masterpiece that I hope you enjoy as much as I did the first time I read it!

Promise me that you'll read the original book by Oscar Wilde (not the adapted version) when you are in Advanced 2. 

I'm certain that you will enjoy it! 

What do you want for Christmas? _ Int 1 Listening

You can watch again the nice video we watched yesterday in class and practise a bit more. 

The extract I showed you started at 00:39.

How about you? What do you want for Christmas?

Stereotypes & Gender equality _ Listening practice Int 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4LcjUSjEow

Hello everyone!

As promised, here is the subtitled video of the speech given by Emma Watson at a

special event for the HeForShe campaign at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, in September 2014.

Try to watch it completely!

I hope you find it as interesting as I do!

Colloquial English

Hello everyone!

Did you know that one of the most difficult things to translate are colloquial sayings? That's because we don't always have an equivalent in our mother tongue.

Your course mate Nora has shared this link with us and it's really interesting! Have a look!

http://elblogdeidiomas.es/203-expresiones-ingles-coloquiales/

In Spanish we would have: "A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda"

Thank you, Nora!

Happy teachers' day!

Happy teachers' day to all my students who are also teachers!

I'd like you to tell me about some teachers who have inspired you!

I can remember my French teacher at university who was an enthusiastic, patient and pleasant young woman that made us all love her language and her country.

I also remember how inspirational and exigent our Philosophy teacher was. Reading "Los mundos de Sofía" in class made as all enjoy Philosophy as teenagers.

To finish, I’ll mention my Math teacher: a creative, positive and funny man who let us discover how Math is present in our lives.

Their classes have probably made me who I am now.

How about you? Can you mention a teacher that was particularly inspirational to you?

Please, tell me about him/her.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!!! _ Listening & culture

What the following video (stop watching after 00:52) and answer the questions:

1.     What was the date?
2.     What was the name of the ship?
3.     How many people board the ship? How many men/women and how many children?
4.     Why are they leaving their homeland?
5.     What do they believe in?
6.     What will their adventures change?

You can find the answer key and a link to a very similar transkcript as a comment! 
I have also given come feedback to each of you.

Message in a Bottle - Listening and Reading

Hi everyone!

We have been listening to the wonderful song by The Police.
I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have!

Here you can find de video in case you want to listen to it again:

I suggest you to read some of the following stories. They are amazing!

http://www.mymessagebottle.com/amazing-stories.html

Present Perfect (Revision) - Intermediate 1

Hello everyone!

I have noticed that some of you don't really remember what you studied last year about Present Perfect & Past Simple or Present Perfect & Adverbs.

I encourage you to revise so that we can start learning new contents!

Here you can find a link to your pre-intermediate book (Basic 2) so that you can test yourselves. 

Units 4 & 9
https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/preint3/grammar/file04/?cc=global&selLanguage=en
https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/preint3/grammar/file09/?cc=global&selLanguage=en

You know that you also have your workbook and CD-ROM.

There are many options to catch up!

Happy long weekend!

Billionaires! Listening activity_Int 1

Complete / answer the questions with 1-3 words:

1. According to the report, Asia has ______________________

 than the USA.

2.       In 2013, how many billionaires were there in…

Asia: / USA: / Europe:

3.      What is the top of the list of billionaire capitals of the world?

4.     Carlos Slim is the____________________________ in the world.

5.      Where is the report’s author from?

6.      Who is the youngest billionaire? 

Please, post your answers! 

You can find the answer key as a comment!

Giving opinions - Intermediate 1

Cooking, for most people, is a tedious job that they have to do everyday, whether they like it or not. Even if you are not going to eat yourself, you still have to cook for your family. 

However, there are some people who really enjoy it. So, can cooking become a hobby?

I would like to know if you think that the following statement is true/false:

"Men cook as a hobby, women cook because they have to"

Please, write a comment!

Healthy eating - Reading practice Int 1

Hello everyone!

This week we have been studying vocabulary and expressions related to Food & Cooking. Do the following test to see if you eat healthily and practise your reading a bit!

Spanish nurse infected with ebola _ Listening Int 1

Watch this video and try to understand as much as possible. Then, press "CC" and watch it with subtitles (they are not perfect).

See you in class!

Welcome!

Happy summer to everybody!

I hope you enjoy holidays but don't switch off completely!

Rememeber to practise your English so that you don't get rusty.

Try to read, at least, one book, listen to some interesting podcasts and practise your speaking.

See you very soon.

María

Speaking practice

Here you can find different websites that will help you to practise your speaking.

http://www.conversationexchange.com/ 

 https://es.verbling.com/ 

 http://www.splendid-speaking.com/community/index.html

 http://www.language-exchanges.org/ 

 http://www.sharedtalk.com/

 http://www.speak-english-today.com/

I hope you find them useful!

Reading Int 1 - Are you a happy person?

Read the following article in which I found an interesting compilation of kind reminders. 

I hope you enjoy them too!

http://www.infobarrel.com/22_Habits_of_Unhappy_People

Exam Results June 2014

As you know, your exam results will come out on Wednesday 11th. You just have to click on the link below:

http://www.extrasoft.es/gemweb/wCalificaciones.aspx?CODIGO_ESCUELA=M24&CODIGO=60&CCA=016

You can go to the school to see your exam on Thursday 12th at 20:00 in Room 17.

Breaking News - King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicates

If you want to read about it: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27662301

I'm sure you have watched videos and read the news but have you done it in English?

Happy ending!

Reading practice _ Intermediate 1

Hello everybody!

Some of you wanted to do reading practice. 

Here you are a couple of websites that offer different activities for you to practice at home.

http://www.mansioningles.com/Lectura01.htm

http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/reading-intermediate.php

Job Interview - Listening Activity

Hi  there!

This week we have studied vocabulary related to work.
Listen to the following podcast on a Job Interview. Try to take notes and the read the transcript by clicking on the link below.

   

Transcript: http://wsdownload.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/pdf/2012/02/120215095136_english_at_work_episode_1_english.pdf

Exam practice_Listening activities

Hello everyone!

These are the tracks that you should listen to to practise for the final exam. I gave you the activities either in person or by email.

I'll give you the answer key soon!

http://www44.zippyshare.com/v/46591542/file.html 

 www44.zippyshare.com/v/76283572/file.html

House Prices in the UK - Listening Activity

This week we have been studying vocabulary on flats and houses. 
Listen to the following extract and fill in the gaps. Please, correct your answers! The answer key is part of one of the comments.

 

U.K. house prices are (1) ___________________ that a third of British people will never buy their own home. A report from the Halifax Bank said home ownership and getting on the (2) ___________________ ladder was no longer an achievable (3) ___________________ many Britons. A (4)___________________ of twentysomethings have no plans to buy. The report suggested the desire to own a home is being replaced by the (5) ___________________to  live in one. It added: "It seems that people are now beginning to accept a lifetime of (6) ___________________." 

Britain's Office for (7) ___________________ said U.K. house prices rose by 10.5% last year, with London prices (8) ___________________ by 18%. It said there were "runaway train" house prices. The (9) ___________________ was valued at $425,000 nationwide and at $610,000 in London. The report (10) ___________________of possible long-term social problems because of the haves and have-nots. It said without (11) ___________________, "the market will (12) ___________________to a standstill ". If this happens, prices will come down.

Happy World Book Day! - Listening

  Do you love reading? Why? Why not? Please, share your ideas!

World Book Day & the Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas de la Comunidad de Madrid

This is the information concerning the activities organised for tomorrow, World Book Day, by the Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas in Madrid. I know many of you have to work but here you have it in case anyone can go!    

Novelist Gabriel García Márquez dies - Listening activity

Listen to the following piece of news and fill in the gaps. (Your browser should be Google Chrome)

Post them as a comment. The answer key has been posted as a comment.

   

Gabriel García Márquez, one of the world's greatest (1) ____________, has died, aged 87. He (2) ____________ away at his home in Mexico. The official cause of death was a lung (3) ____________. The Colombian writer won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982, among many more top literary awards. The Colombian government has announced three days of national (4) ____________. A spokesperson said García Márquez was, "a writer who changed the lives of his (5) ____________ ". His novel ''Love in the Time of Cholera" is the best selling book written in Spanish of all (6) ____________. He also wrote many more (7) ____________. Many critics place García Márquez among the most important writers ever. He helped develop a (8) ____________ of writing called "magical realism". U.S. President Barack Obama paid a (9) ____________ to Márquez, saying: "The world has lost one of its greatest (10) ____________ writers." Former President Bill Clinton said: "I was always amazed by his (11) ____________ gifts of imagination, clarity of thought, and emotional honesty. He captured the pain and joy of our common (12) ____________ in settings both real and magical." García Márquez once said he was a (13) ____________ from a young age. He told an interviewer: "I have often been told by the family that I started (14) ____________ things, stories and so on, almost since I was born - ever (15) ____________ I could speak." Peruvian Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa said: "His novels will (16) ____________ and will continue to find new readers everywhere."

The Devil Wears Prada - Listening Activity

Watch the video that we have been watching in class again and try to understand everything! You can see the correction as a comment.

Here you can watch it in high definition if you prefer so:

http://skymovies.sky.com/the-devil-wears-prada/trailer-the-devil-wears-prada

Superman & Batman - Reading

This week we have been talking about film in class.

Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the words provided: 

Superman and Batman will be in the same film (1) ____________ for the first time ever. The movie will be in cinemas in the summer of 2015. Zack Snyder, the director of the (2) ____________ Superman movie "Man Of Steel," told reporters the news on Saturday. He said many (3) ____________ of the two superheroes would be happy that the two characters are going to (4) ____________ up. Henry Cavill, who starred in "Man Of Steel," will (5) ____________ Superman again in the new film. The producers don't yet know which actor will play Batman. Moviegoers are (6) ____________ an action-packed adventure that will be like no other superhero film. Mr Snyder said he could not give away any (7) ____________ about the story because the script hasn't been written (8) ____________. 

The movie company Warner Bros. (9) ____________ the Superman-Batman duo will be as successful as the 2012 film "The Avengers". That movie made $1.5 billion (10) ____________ and successfully brought together the main characters owned by Marvel Comics. Warner Bros. and DC Comics (the (11) ____________ of Superman and Batman) have spent many years trying to (12) ____________ to the new film. Snyder told reporters just how great he thought the new movie would be, saying: "Let's face it, it's (13) ____________ mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest superheroes in the world." However, some fans are (14) ____________ about the new movie. They think the (15) ____________ needs to be extra-(16) ____________ to be successful. 

owners/ expecting/ secrets/ fans/ yet/ together/ team/ latest/ play/ agree/ worldwide/ story/ worried/ hopes/ special/ beyond 

Post your answers as a comment! 

The answer key has been posted as a comment so that you can try again and correct yourselves! 

Good try! Keep practising!

Intermediate 1 & Advanced 1 (Revision) - Interaction

Sport - vocabulary

You have different ways to test yourselves! Just choose a different study mode.

Scholarships - Language Immersion Programme

http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2014/03/10/pdfs/BOE-A-2014-2543.pdf

(Only for those born between 1994-1997)

Sport in the UK - Listening activity

The UK is home to some of the greatest sporting venues in the world. 

Watch the video again and take an online tour of Silverstone Circuit and Wembley Stadium! 

You can read the transcript and do the extra activities!

   

 

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/britain-great/sport-great-part-1

Modern Family - Listening Activity

We have been watching an extract from the first episode of the famous sitcom Modern Family in class.

Watch part of it again and try to understand!

Hello everybody!

As you know,  this is the beginning of the school year for me since I have been on maternity leave.

I hope that you find this blog useful and it helps you to enjoy & learn English on your own.

All the best for the rest of the academic year!