Oral Presentation: 'Movies'

As you all know, the oral project for the second term is about movies. Here you will find the structure in case you need to have a look:

+ Guessing Game (optional)
0. Introduction: title of the movie and reason why you chose it
1. Background Information
- Year of release
- Genre
- Crew members
- Cast: main characters / supporting characters
2. Plot: no spoilers!!
3. Awards
4. Anecdotes
5. Quotation: text, meaning and reason why you chose it
+ Trivia (optional)

Also, you will also be able to learn some new vocabulary and expressions to use in your presentation if you click on the presentations below:

Look Up: A Poem

Today's entry is all about filmmaker and spoken word artist Gary Turk. One of the things he does -brilliantly, I must say- is talking about daily life through poems, so you might easily relate to the topics he deals with. As sometimes "A picture is worth a thousand words", he makes videos out of his poems. You can watch some of them HERE.

Just to start with, I've taken a poem called 'Look Up'. As you can see in the video cover, it is about how an abusive use of technology can make us lose awareness of what happens around us.

Here's the poem in its written form as well. Hope you enjoy it!

Present Passive for ESO

To get ready for your final exam, you can try these links on the present passive. Hope it helps!

PRESENT PASSIVE: Complete the sentences

PRESENT PASSIVE: Transform into passive 1

 PRESENT PASSIVE: Transform into passive 2

 PRESENT PASSIVE: Transform into passive 3

ACTIVE OR PASSIVE SENTENCES?

Verb Tense Mix

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

 

 
Today's practice is on mixed tenses in simple sentences. If you feel you need to work on it, or you think you need to revise, or you don't have anything else to do, here's some links that may be useful:

PRACTICE 1

PRACTICE 2

PRACTICE 3

Future Tenses: Will, Be Going To, Present Continuous

It's been a while!

Here's some practice on future tenses to revise the contrast between Will, Be Going to and Present Continuous with future meaning. The key is included.

For further practice, click HERE

The Last Lesson

Today's the last lesson with my dear 2ºBachillerato students. All the best to you all!

Here's my goodbye message for them. Now go create your own masterpiece!

You'll find the lyrics here: Masterpiece - Jessie J

Music - You Learn (Alanis Morissette)

Who said that you only learn what you are taught? 

Can we learn through our experiences in life?

Alanis Morissette thinks so. In fact, she recommends us to take risks so that we learn from our wins and losses. Listen to the song and see it for yourself.

 
To have a look at the lyrics, click HERE

Quotes - 2

Breaking Bad - season 2, episode 8

Keep going, superheroes! You can almost touch the finish line. Go kick fear, frustration and tiredness as hard as you can right in the teeth!

It feels awesome, by the way.

***

For those of you who want it, here's the translation into Spanish:

"He pasado mi vida entera asustado. Con miedo a las cosas que podían pasar, podrían pasar, podrían no pasar. Cincuenta años he pasado así. Despertándome a las tres de la mañana. ¿Pero sabes qué? Cada día desde mi diagnóstico, duermo bien. Me di cuenta de que lo peor de todo es el miedo. De que es el enemigo real. Así que levántate, sal al mundo real y dale una patada a ese b******* tan fuerte como puedas en toda la boca."

Up: Carl and Ellie's Love Story

Here's the video you need to watch to prepare your composition. Hope you enjoy it!

Possible text types in PAU: a presentation

Today I'm bringing a presentation including some of the topics that appeared in PAU exams in the past. The aim is to distinguish which type each heading corresponds to, and to develop a strategy before you start writing: text type, structure, typical language.

Once you've got all this covered, try and make it yummy!

Cloze Test: Slow Travel

Here's a new set of exercises that I hope will be useful for some of my students as PAU is approaching. The aim of cloze tests is to understand a text and complete it with suitable words. I won't be giving you any words to start with this time, as you can find the full script HERE

Present Perfect VS Past Simple

Do you remember in which situations we used present perfect instead of past simple, and vice-versa? Here's the handout we worked with in class. Remember that the answers will be uploaded shortly.

To revise, click on the links below.

• FILL IN THE GAPS (1) 

• FILL IN THE GAPS (2) 

• COMPLETE WITH THE WORDS GIVEN 

• CHOOSE THE CORRECT VERB FORM

• GAME: CLOZE TESTS

If you are feeling like you didn't have enough or you are... let's say enjoying it, click HERE

Present Perfect with 'Just', 'Already' and 'Yet'

We're back!

Just to revise what we learnt before Easter, here's some exercises about Present Perfect together with the words 'just', 'already' and 'yet'.

The answers, as always, will be uploaded soon.

Happy Easter!

Just try and enjoy some of those things you're missing so much... things that make you feel happy.

See you soon.

We're going to England!

Only one day left!

Which places are we visiting? Take a look at the pictures and guess.

KEY:

London / Oxford / Warwick / Stratford-upon-Avon / Stonehenge / Bristol / Bath / London... and back to Madrid!

Father's Day

I was thinking about you when I found this.

Have a nice day, dad!

Listening Practice: Slow Travel

Today I'm starting a new kind of activities for Bachillerato: listening activities which can be used to work different skills. I'm glad to share this idea I found at elllo.org, where you can have a look at the audio and script.

You can also have a look at the document below:

A possible lesson plan:

1. ICE-BREAKING: 
Things to do once you have some free time. Among the various plans, travelling may be one of them. Students can talk about favourite/dreamed travel destinations and give reasons. They can also talk about how they would like to travel: as a backpacker, as a flashpacker or any other kind of tourist.

2. LISTENING PRACTICE:
- Listenings one and two: read the questions and provide answers as you listen.
- Listening three: use the audioscript to make sure your answers are correct. The activity can be corrected at the end of the listening or while they are listening to the dialogue.

3. READING PRACTICE: 
Extract interesting vocabulary.
Find examples of conditional sentences and explain how they are formed.

4. SPEAKING / WRITING PRACTICE:
- Do you feel engaged with your work?
- What was a turning point in your life?
- What topic is a big deal for you?
- What is one downside to... (e.g. getting / not getting married - having / not having kids)
- Have you ever considered to be an expat?

You Can Live your Dream!

Just in case you forgot... or if you never thought about it. Have a look.

You're almost there. Just a few steps more. It's not over until you win!

Quotes - 1

My dear students,

Good luck on your exams. Read the quote below and breath deep. Don't give up, you're almost there!

See you on Monday, superheroes.

"In 1888, William Williams Keen became one of the first surgeons to successfully remove a brain tumor. A big win. It's true. You can look it up. What's harder to find, however, are stories of all the times old Double Billy K tried to pull a tumor out of a brain and lost. The losses must have happened. A surgeon must always be prepared to lose. And in neurosurgery, with the big tumors. We lose those battles as often as we succeed. The key, though, win or lose, is to never fail. And the only way to fail is not to fight. So you fight until you can't fight anymore. Hold up your head and enter the arena and face the enemy. Fight until you can't fight anymore. Never let go. Never give up. Never run. Never surrender. Fight the good fight. Even when it seems inevitable that you're about to go down swinging."

"Why do we even try, when the barriers are so high and the odds are so low? Why don't we just pack it in and go home? It'd be so, so much easier. It's because in the end there's no glory in easy. No one remembers easy. They remember the blood, and the bones, and the long agonizing fight to the top. And that is how you become legendary."

Grey's Anatomy

Season 11, Episode 14

Here's the translation into Spanish for those of you who are interested:

"En 1888, William Williams Keen se convirtió en uno de los primeros cirujanos que consiguió extraer un tumor cerebral. Una gran victoria. Es verdad. Puedes buscar información sobre ello. Lo que es más difícil de encontrar, sin embargo, son las historias de todas las veces en que Billy Bis K intentó extraer un tumor cerebral y perdió. Las derrotas han debido suceder. Un cirujano siempre debe estar preparado para perder. Y en neurocirugía, contra los grandes tumores. Perdemos tantas batallas como victorias cosechamos. La clave, sin embargo, se gane o se pierda, es no fallar nunca. Y la única manera de fallar es no pelear. Así que pelea hasta que no puedas pelear más. Mantén la cabeza alta, sal a la palestra y enfréntate al enemigo. Lucha hasta que no puedas luchar más. Nunca lo dejes. Nunca te des por vencido. Nunca salgas corriendo. Nunca te rindas. Dalo todo. Incluso aunque parezca inevitable que vayas a perder en el intento."

"¿Por qué lo intentamos, aunque las barreras sean tan grandes y las posibilidades tan escasas? ¿Por qué no lo dejamos y nos vamos a casa? Sería mucho, mucho más fácil. Es porque al final no hay gloria en lo fácil. Nadie recuerda lo fácil. Recuerdan la sangre, y los huesos, y la lenga y agonizante batalla hasta la cima. Y es así como te conviertes en leyenda."

Time Clauses: Rephrasings

Let's get creative!

Let's learn some grammar!

Let's do it all together! Have a look at the exercise and try to combine the sentences to create a new one using time connectors.

The key will be uploaded as soon as we correct the exercise in class.

Future Mix Practice: Will - Be Going to - Present Simple - Present Continuous

As we will not be having class until next week, here's some practice for Bachillerato students on future tenses. Review your notes and decide which tense is most suitable for each of the sentences provided: Will+Infinitive, Be Going To+Infinitive, Present Simple or Present Continuous.

It's not going to be easy, so feel free to ask all your questions in class. Have a nice week!

The key for this exercise will be uploaded shortly.

Too / Enough: Sentence Transformation **WITH KEY!!**

Here's the key with the exercise on 'Too/Enough: sentence transformation' we did in class.

If you need extra practice, click on these links, all of them including key:

 Practice 1                    Practice 2                    Practice 3

Reporting Verbs: notes and useful links

To practice reported speech using verbs different from say/tell, look at the notes HERE or in the document below and click on the links provided. Go for it!

Although the list is quite complete, there are some verbs which cannot be included in any of the groups. Here are some of them:

• ACCUSE: She accused Michael of lying. [accuse + object + of + gerund]
• APOLOGISE: I apologised to them for burning the dinner. [apologise ( + to + object) + for + gerund]
• BLAME: He blamed me for breaking the computer. [blame + object + for + gerund]
• CONFESS: He confessed to stealing the car. [confess + to + gerund]
• INSIST: They insisted on going with Bob. [insist + on + gerund]

Exercise 1

Exercise 2 

Exercise 3 

Exercise 4 

Exercise 5

Exercises on Reported Speech **WITH KEY!!**

Today I'm offering you some practice on one of the most complex grammar points in English. In the document below you will find statements, commands and questions to be transformed into reported speech.

The answers are included in the second document.

If you are interested in reporting verbs, have a look at the following post. Or click HERE.

Relative pronouns in songs **WITH KEY!!**

Are you up for a musical challenge? If so, how many of these songs/artists do you know? Play the video and find out how musically smart you are.

If you think that was easy, then try and discover the relative pronouns hidden in the songs. Remember that some of them are omitted, so that is going to be quite tricky.

Last but not least, you can also improve your listening skills while listening to songs. Visit lyricstraining and have fun!

***

A POSSIBLE LESSON PLAN

1. Watch the video.

2. How many artists/songs appearing in the video do you know?

3. Watch the video again. Put the verses in the document below in the correct order as they appear in the video. You can divide students into teams, or use only some of the verses. There are a lot!

4. Make sure you are right. Then, read the verses and locate the relative pronouns and their function in the verse. If the relative pronoun is omitted, explain why. 

***

KEY ARTISTS / SONGS / VERSES (Links to lyrics included):

1. 'Happy' - Pharrell Williams

It might seem crazy what I’m about to say 

 I'm a hot air balloon that could go to space 

 Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

 Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

2. 'Stairway to Heaven' - Led Zeppelin

There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
With a word she can get what she came for

3. 'Just the Way You Are' - Bruno Mars

When I see your face there's not a thing that I would change
You're amazing  just the way you are

4. 'Crazy' - Aerosmith

There was a time when I was so broken hearted

All I want is someone I can't resist 

I know all I need to know by the way that I got kissed

5. 'Every Breath You Take' - The Police

Every breath you take - Every move you make 

Every bond you break - Every step you take

Every word you say - Every game you play

6. 'The Reason' - Hoobastank

There's many things I wish I didn't do

7. 'Sweet Child of Mine' - Guns N' Roses

She's got a smile that... 

Childhood memories where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky

8. 'Bleeding Love' - Leona Lewis

I don't care what they say - I’m in love with you 

My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing

9. 'I Say a Little Prayer' - Aretha Franklin

The moment I wake up

10. 'The Logical Song' - Supertramp

They showed me a world where I could be so dependable 

There are times when all the world's asleep

11. 'Hole in My Soul' - Aerosmith

There's a hole in my soul that's been killing me forever 

It's a place where a garden never grows

12. 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' - U2

I still haven't found what I'm looking for

13. 'Stay with Me' - Sam Smith

Oh, won't you stay with me? 'Cause you're all I need

14. 'You're Still the One' - Shania Twain

You're still the one I run to - The one that I belong to 

You're still the one that I love - The only one I dream of

You're still the one I want for life 

You're still the one I kiss good night

15. 'Viva la Vida' - Coldplay

For some reason I can't explain 

That was when I ruled the world

16. 'Wonderwall' - Oasis

I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now 

All the roads we have to walk are winding

All the lights that lead us there are blinding 

There are many things that I would like to say to you

Maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me

17. 'Yellow Submarine' - The Beatles   

In the town where I was born lived a man who sailed to sea

18. 'Wrecking Ball' - Miley Cyrus   

All I wanted was to break your walls - All you ever did was wreck me

19. 'My Way' - Frank Sinatra 

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain 

I've lived a life that's full