The Twelve Days of Christmas

Here you have some videos of the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

The first video is a rock version of the song, which is my favourite. Check it






Now, a more traditional version




For a christian interpretation of the song, visit this website

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS


I hope you enjoy it all.

leave your comments with your name.

The 10 most embarrassing sport records

In the following website you'll find the10 most embarrassing sport recordsin the world. Just click onthe numbers below the photo and check.You'll see that there are things forwhich some sportsmen wouldn't like to be remembered.


EMBARRASSING RECORDS

Justin Biever's "Mistletoe"

Well, here is a Christmassy video for you. Jearisa and Rocio Pilar, from 3ºB asked me to post this video in the blog. Mistletoe is a plant which grows attached to the branckes of trees or bushes, and it is commonly used as a Christmas decoration. According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal. According to ancient Christmas custom, a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of mistletoe were obliged to kiss.



I hope you enjoy the video.

If you want to post a comment, remember to either sign in or write your name if you comment as anonymous.

Bye

About extreme sports

If you want to find more about extreme sports, click on the link below and you will find short explanations and photographs of extreme sports.


Extreme Sports at BBC

If you want to post a comment, don't forget to write your name or sign in.
Good bye.

Christmas games.

Now that Christmas is near, you could play one of these little games.

You can play the post delivery game. Throw letters into the delivery van and you'll receive a present in return. Use the arrow keys to move left and right and the spacebar to throw a letter. Don't let the gifts fall to the ground. If you miss three gifts then it's game over.


Or, play Santa Claus vs. Jack Frost. Santa has to deliver as many fancy dress costumes as possible before the time runs out! Click the mouse to fire a present. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move Santa.
There are many obstacles which will make this task a difficult one, including dangerously tall buildings and Jack Frost's savage icicle attacks.

The more presents you deliver without dropping, the higher your multiplier. For each multiplier you will be given a different fancy dress custome to deliver. Get all 16 costumes for the ultimate score!

Note: games require Adobe Flash Player. If game does not load, try installing the newest Flash Player. This game takes a few seconds to load.

The Christmas post game

Santa vs. Jack Frost

I hope you like the games, but don't play for too long...

Remember to write your name if you post a comment.

Bye

Too young for extreme sports?

Hey! Who told you you are too young for extreme sport? Of course, this video is a parody; it is not real, but it's fun to see those young boys doing some mischief, plus check out the beautiful forest they ride across with their bikes...

Once you watch the video, choose the correct option:

1.- The boy with the red t-shirt is called Landseer. You can hear his father's voice telling him That he is going out, and he also says:
a) "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
b) "Don't take my truck."
c) "Don't go out until I return."

2.- Landseer tells his friend on the phone to "call the gang". This means:
a) To meet him.
b) To call his friends.
c) To go to sleep.

3.- When they notice that he has taken his father's truck, the other boys
a) Are worried.
b) Are sad.
c) Are excited.

4.- When his father calls him asking for the truck, Landseer...
a) Admists that he took it.
b) Says he doesn't know about it.
c) Tells his father the truth.



Publish your answers as a comment, and as usual, donn't forget to write your name if you don't sign in.

I hope you enjoy the short movie.
Bye.

Bruce Springsteen in Seville

Today it has been made public that Bruce Springsteen, the Boss, will perform in Seville next spring. the Olympic Stadium will tremble again to the vibe of Springsteen's Fender Telecaster and his broken voice.

Rejoice, brothers and sisters! the Boss is back!!

Here's a little appetizer...

Thanksgiving Comic strip

Today is Thanksgiving day. Here's a comic strip related to this festivity.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States (and also Canada). In the U.S.A., thanksgiving is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving started as a religious celebration in 1621, when the first British settlers in America thanked God for guiding them safely to the New World, and for the good harvest which would allow them to resist the terrible conditions they were lving in. Nowadays, families gather together, usually to have dinner. There are some typical dishes served on Thanksgiving day, but the star of the celebration is turkey, whish is so important that some people even call the celebration "turkey day".

If you want to play a little "thanksgiving game" just click on the link below. It is about typical thanksgiving food. If you guess the words right, the turkey will be saved, if you don't, it will go into the oven...

TURKEY GAME

I hope you enjoy it.

Cyrus and Bieber

Music is a great way to improve your English. Some students have told me about their favourite singers, so here is a video of two of them, Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. I includea link to the lyrics, so you can follow as they sing on stage.
Now, I have heard that Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus were more than good friends before Selena Gomez got in the way... Is that true?

You can find the lyrics here

LYRICS

I hope you like the video.

See you.

English Language Timeline.

Here is a "Timeline" of English language. You can see all the different influences that have shaped the development of English through history. Did you know that French (Norman French) was the language spoken in England (mostly by the higher social classes) for more than 300 years? And that because of the colonization of territories all over the world during the period of the British Empire, English has incorporated vocabulary from places as far away from each other as Bahamas, India, Canada or Australia? Did you know that there are words with the same or similar meaning that are different because they come from different languages (fate, destiny)?

Click on the image to enlarge it.





Different influences are indicated by different colours. An interesting way of having a quick look at how the language has evolved.

Bye.

Comic Strip

Baby Blues is a comic strip created by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott in 1995. It follows the lives of the McPhersons, an American family, focusing on the raising of their three children. I hope you like this one. Click on the strip to enlarge the picture.



If you like this strip, post a comment asking for more Baby Blues strips (or others).
Bye

4th ESO: Teen Homeless

Running away from home is probably not a good idea. In this video, a girl called Spryte tells about how she took to the streets, and her experiences as a homeless teenager.

Read these sentences, watch the video and then say if they are TRUE or FALSE.

1. Spryte has been homeless since she was twelve.
2. She was adopted and she didn't have a good relationship with her parents.
3. She didn't mind begging for money.
4. She has never had a real family.
5. A perfect day for her would be to go sailing alone.





Post your answers as comments, and remember to include your name if you don't sign in.

See you.

2nd ESO: Robbie Williams at a talent show

Now that we are dealing with different types of TV programmes, this video features pop star Robbie Williams singing his hit "Angels" with a contestant in the talent show "The X Factor" called Olly. After the song, they have a little conversation on the stage. Read these sentences and watch the video, then say if they are TRUE or FALSE.


1. Robbie Williams starts singing too early .
2. Olly doesn't like singing with Robbie Williams.
3. Robbie Williams is a big, big fan of Olly.
4. Robbie says that Olly is not very confident.





I hope you enjoy the video.

Please, post your answers as a comment, and write your name if you don't sign in.

English 2nd language 3rd ESO: The X Factor:

Here you have a video from the auditions for a talent show called "The X Factor" (we actually had a version of it in Spain). In this video, three teenagers sing "Bad Romance", a hit by Lady Gaga... Watch the video and choose the correct option:






1. The name of the band is...
a) Junk
b) Jam
c) Jahm

2. The girl called April works...
a) as a journalist
b) as a waitress in her dad's restaurant.
c) as a waitress in a local pub.

3. After they sing the song, one man in the jury tells them that...
a) They are one of the best groups they've had on the show.
b) Probably the worst group they've had on the show.
c) Probably the group that sings Lady Gaga's songs better than Lady Gaga herself.

4. The other man says that they are like...
a) Three cats being strangled.
b) Three poor children looking for their parents.
c) Three wolfs howling at the moon.

Now answer these questions: Were they admitted into the X Factor show? Do you think they will have a successful career as singers?

Please, post your answers as comments, and don't forget to include your name if you don't sign in.

Bye.

3rd ESO: Extraordinary Art

Follow the link below and you will find a lot of information about ordinary objects turned into extraordinary works of art.

http://weburbanist.com/extraodinary-art-from-ordinary-objects/



Look at the pictures, read the texts and answer these questions:
1. What are the three ordinary objects used in the part of the text with the title: Portraits and sculptures form ordinary objects?
2. What does one painter create using people’s hands?

Now click on the link Portraits and sculptures form ordinary objects
1. Whose portrait has Saimir Strati made with nails?
2. What is the name of the man who has constructed a toothpick yacht that floats and works as a remote- control boat?


Then click on the link Even more art from ordinary objects, and answer these questions:
1. What does Guido Daniele paint in people’s hands?
2. Eric Daigh makes portraits with push pins. He was born in Southern California, but… Where does he live and work?

As usual, post your answers as comments and add your name if you don't log in.

4th ESO: Present Perfect Correction

Here you are the correction for the Present Perfect worksheet. We will comment about it in class once you have compared your answers with the correction sheet.

See you!!

Open publication - Free publishing - More correction

Robbie Williams and Little Britain

This video features David Walliams and Matt Lucas, the actors responsible for the comic series "Little Britain", with Robbie Williams, the famous pop star. It was broadcast in a telethon* for the charity "Comic Relief", an organisation which tries to help people in need in Britain and abroad by raising money through comic shows. In the video, Robbie Williams enters a shop which is run by two familiar characters in "Little Britain", Emily and Florence (in fact two men dressed as women). In the series, Emily and Florence's adventures criticize discrimination and hipocrisy towards gay people, always with humour and a touch of irony.

I hope you enjoy the video.





*Telethon: A compound word, made up of Television + marathon. A telethon is an event broadcast on television that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political, or other allegedly worthy cause.

A day under the pines in Hinojos

On wednesday october 19th, we spent the morning among the pine trees in Hinojos. It was a nice change from the everyday routine of school work, and we all had a good time. Here are some photographs to remember the day.





Photographs courtesy of Juan Miguel Romero.

Some fun for all: Language problems

This clip from the classic BBC series "Fawlty Towers" (starring Monty Python's John Cleese) presents a very funny misunderstanding between hotel owner Basil Fawlty, and Spanish bellboy Manuel (who is from Barcelona) on account of the butter "on those trays". These two characters and the confusion created by their lack of command of each other's language have given us some of the greatest comedy moments in the history of the BBC.

Enjoy it!!

2nd ESO: A typical day.

Students in 2nd ESO at "La Ribera" (Almonte, Spain) will find that they can do a lot of things in one day. Watch the video and find out about a young girl's daily routines. See if you can answer this question after watching the video:

- What time does the girl go to bed?

Then go to the comment below.

I hope you enjoy the video.

English as a 2nd foreign language, 3rd ESO: Faces

Now that you can describe people's faces, choose two of these people and describe their appearance. You can also say what each of them is like as a person, according to the "Face Reading Guide" in your course books.

4th ESO: Photographs of a changing world.

Students of 4th ESO at "La Ribera" (Almonte, Spain) will find this video interesting. Here you have a series of photos that show key moments in recent (and not so recent) history. Please, note that some of them may be considered distasteful or shocking, but they certainly depict some terrible moments in history which should not be forgotten.

Watch the video and enjoy it.




And for diversificación students, you can watch this video about the use of the present continuous. It features the Simpsons performing different actions. Watch and say if the following sentence is TRUE or FALSE: In de video, Homer is dancing in a discotheque.

I hope you like the video.

3rd ESO: Interesting video on fast food

I have selected this video for students of 3rd ESO at "La Ribera" (Almonte, Spain), though anyone who is interested in eating habits will be startled by the information in it. It was made by an American student as a school project, and it provides some disturbing facts about fast food production.


Watch and... Be careful what you eat!