viernes, 18 de marzo de 2016

Writing task for holidays

Choose the option you didn't write in the exam. You have to hand it in the first day of class, that is, the 31st March.



OPTION A:   Write an email to a friend who wants to come to stay with you in July. Explain what you can do in Las Rozas / Madrid and how to get around.

OPTION B:  A students' magazine is going to publish anecdotes that happened when you were younger. Write your anecdote including the following information.
        Where and when it happened.
              Why you were there, what you were doing and who you were with.
                    What happened.
                    Why you remember this particular anecdote.

Have a nice holiday!

jueves, 17 de marzo de 2016

St. Patrick's Day

St Patrick’s Day is a global celebration of Irish culture on or around March 17. It particularly remembers St Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints, who ministered Christianity in Ireland during the fifth century. 
 

What Do People Do?

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially by Irish communities and organizations. Many people wear an item of green clothing on the day. Parties featuring Irish food and drinks that are dyed in green food color are part of this celebration. It is a time when children can indulge in sweets and adults can enjoy a “pint” of beer at a local pub. Many restaurants and pubs offer Irish food or drink, which include:
  • Irish brown bread.
  • Corned beef and cabbage.
  • Beef and Guinness pie.
  • Irish cream chocolate mousse cake.
  • Irish coffee.
  • Irish potato champ, also known as poundies, cally or pandy.
  • Irish stew.
  • Irish potato soup.
Some people plan a pilgrimage to St Patrick’s Purgatory, which is commonly associated with penance and spiritual healing since the early 13th century. It is on Station Island in Lough Derg in County Donegal where St Patrick had a vision promising that all who came to the sanctuary in penitence and faith would receive a pardon for their sins.

St. Patrick's symbols:



Symbols

The most common St Patrick's Day symbol is the shamrock. The shamrock is the leaf of the clover plant and a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Many people choose to wear the color green and the flag of the Republic of Ireland is often seen in St Patrick’s Day parades around the world. Irish brands of drinks are popular at St Patrick’s Day events.
Religious symbols include snakes and serpents, as well as the Celtic cross. Some say that Saint Patrick added the Sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross. Other Irish-related symbols seen on St Patrick’s Day include the harp, which was used in Ireland for centuries, as well as a mythological creature known as the leprechaun and a pot of gold that the leprechaun keeps hidden.



If your are interested, read more here:
St Patrick's day

jueves, 10 de marzo de 2016

Different uses of the word WAY

Here you have an interesting video with Adam, a Canadian teacher, talking about different expressions that contain the word WAY.

10 expressions with the word 'word'

Make sure you start to use some of them!

Can mindfulness improve pupils' concentration?

Mindfulness is a psychological technique which is said to help combat stress. But should it be widely introduced in schools?

The practice of mindfulness - which draws on Buddhist thinking - has become increasingly popular in recent years. There have been calls for brain-training techniques, using breathing to achieve mental clarity, to be introduced in schools.
In October, the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group said the practice should be made more widely available and recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to "pioneer mindfulness teaching and disseminate best practice".
Political author and former head of Wellington College Anthony Seldon has called for daily "stillness sessions" in schools, saying a decline in traditional religious assemblies has left pupils with little space for reflection in the school day.
So can mindfulness meditation really help pupils concentrate amid the distractions of 21st Century living? A group of BBC School Reporters from Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone, east London, decided to investigate for the project's 10th annual News Day.
Hannah, 14, says students wanted to establish whether mindfulness meditation could help. "We wanted to find out how it could be beneficial for our GCSEs and help us in situations where we might be very stressed.