WE`VE ALREADY STARTED TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is coming and here, at school, we are doing some activities like singing carols. Today, some students have read and sung "All I waant for Christmas is you" from Mariah Carey. We had lots of fun and loved the song!

Remember, remember!

Last Thursday,  some students were celebrating 'Guy Fowkes Day' through some activities and games.

Watch the video and do the exercises:

Exercise 2º ESO

Match the questions 1-5 with the paragraphs A-E

1. How was Guy Fawkes discovered?

2. What happened to Guy Fawkes in the end?

3. Why did Guy Fawkes want to kill King James 1st and the king’s leaders?

4. Why and how do people celebrate the event?

5. What was the plot?

A...........................................................................................

When Queen Elizabeth 1st took the throne of England she made some laws against the Roman Catholics. Guy Fawkes was one of a small group of Catholics who felt that the government was treating Roman Catholics unfairly. For example they had to practise their religion in secret. There were even fines for people who didn't attend the Protestant church on Sundayor on holy days. Catholics hoped that King James 1st would change the laws, but he didn't. What's worse when Jameslst became the king he even passed more laws against the Catholics.

B............................................................................................

Guy Fawkes and a group of men led by Robert Catesby, planned to kill King James and blow up the Houses of Parliament, the place where the laws that governed England were made.

The plot was simple - the next time Parliament was opened by King James l, they would blow up everyone there with gunpowder. The men bought a house next door to the parliament building. The house had a cellar which went under the parliament building. They planned to put gunpowder under the house and blow up parliament and the king.

C............................................................................................

Guy Fawkes was given the job to keep watch over the barrels of gunpowder and to light the fuse. On the morning of 5th November, soldiers discovered Guy hidden in the cellar and arrested him. The trail of gunpowder at his feet would never be lit.

D............................................................................................

He was tortured and questioned about the other plotters in the Tower of London. To start with he didn't tell the soldiers anything about the plot. But, eventually he started to tell the truth.

E............................................................................................

King James survived and ordered that the people of England should have a great bonfire on the night on 5th November. The event is still commemorated annually in England on 5th November by fireworks and burning ‘guys’ (effigies) on bonfires.

Exercise 2ºESO

Watch a video about the Bonfire Night celebrations in the UK. Put the numbers in order as you hear

them.

hundreds      20,000       7:15pm      4,000       7:45pm       5th November

180                    6pm                         400 years ago

1. ....................................

2. ....................................

3. ....................................

4. ....................................

5. ....................................

6. ....................................

7. ....................................

8. ....................................

9. ....................................

Exercise 2ºESO

Watch the video again and write more information about each of the number in exercise 3a.

Exercise 3º-4º ESO.

Answer the following questions with your own words:

1. Why do English people gather around bonfires on November 5th?

2. Who is Guy Fawkes?

3. How was Guy Fawkes discovered?

4. What happened to Guy Fawkes in the end?

5. How do English people celebrate this festivity?

I suppose many of you have already watched "V de Vendetta", a movie based on the story of Guy Fowkes and his group. This event also makes us think of a very well-known poem from the XVIII in the UK.

English Folk Verse (c.1870)

    Remember, remember!

    The fifth of November,

    The Gunpowder treason and plot;

    I know of no reason

    Why the Gunpowder treason

    Should ever be forgot!

    Guy Fawkes and his companions

    Did the scheme contrive,

    To blow the King and Parliament

    All up alive.

    Threescore barrels, laid below,

    To prove old England's overthrow.

    But, by God's providence, him they catch,

    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!

    A stick and a stake

    For King James's sake!

    If you won't give me one,

    I'll take two,

    The better for me,

    And the worse for you.

    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,

    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,

    A pint of beer to wash it down,

    And a jolly good fire to burn him.

    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!

    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save 

Do you fancy a movie next week?

Because learning through movies can be exciting!

The movie week is coming soon and we can`t wait to tell you the movie we have chosen for you. 

All secondary students are invited to come and enjoy "Matilda", an inspiring and entertaining story of a very young and smart girl who struggles against her abusive parents and cruel school principal.We`ll see you at the school hall, first floor, from 9th to 13th November, at break time.

                                We hope you enjoy it!                 
                   

     

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINALS

Last week, in 3º ESO we read a text related to ancient traditions of indigenous Australians (these people have strong spiritual connection to the land, they share stories through dance, art or music from generation to generation,and they celebrate male and female rituals as that one which marks the passage from childhood to adulthood).

But do you know about the reality of these people? This video will help you to understand some aspects about Australian history and the British civilization.

Settlers were not particularly happy to be taken there, to call that place Home.

In 1788- First settlers in Australia arrived.

1901- Independence.

It took them almost a century to accommodate the language to the Australian reality. Sometimes they borrowed terms from the aborigins.

It was a land where time did not exist: timeless land. The aborigins had a completely different view of life: circular, never ending..."the dreamtime": no linear time past-present-future.

Then, it became a weird place, it was immense, unknown, but it was also a place where there was no real time, desert, nothingness, scary, unknown, timeless... huge land that meant a test for people that were not used to be threaten by the unknown, vegetation, animals... 

Botany Bay was the first settlement on the shore, when the first fleet arrived there by Captain Cook; they discovered a gap that nowadays is Sydney Harbour (port Jackson). The first fleet arrived at the end of January (there was summer) very hot and humidity. People crossed the Blue Mountains, the river and flew into the centre of the country. Australia was maybe a paradise, to change the views of the country. 

The country didn`t belong to the settlers; they were just observers at first. The Europeans were not ready to adapt to that land, but in fact the land was full of possibilities.

Activity:

Listen to the apology of the Prime Minister of Australia and  discuss these questions with your classmates and teacher.

a)      Did you find the video interesting? In what way?

b)      Did you know anything about Australia? Has anything made you change your mind about it?

c)      Did you find any similarities or differences with your own culture? Did you feel united to the new culture? In what way?

d)     Did the British show a respectful attitude towards Australian culture?

e)  Does this matter remind you of any cultural matter from your own country? Are we so different? Why?

Looking forward to seeing your comments!

welcome back!

Last September we went back to work. A new course has just started!

In this blog we will offer our students several blog entries to read, activities to practise and get information in English! 
Our purpose is to help students develop new skills in an easy and fascinating way thanks to the arrival of digital technologies and their great possibilities involved in the last century!

This blog will be particularly designed for students of 2nd, 3rd and 4th of ESO, but other people can make use of it if they are interested in as well.

Anyway, we´ll keep in touch in the classroom, but also on the net...

We wish you all the best in this new course 2015/16 and enjoy it!

The English teachers

Saint George's Day

Saint George is the patron saint of England, celebrated annually on 23rd April, the day of his death, in 303.

Although the Saint never visited the British Isles in his lifetime, his legend is well known in England. It is said that he fought on English side during the Crusades and the Hundred Year's War. Nowadays, Saint George's day is considered a celebration of English culture.

A traditional custom to celebrate this day is to fly the Saint George's Cross flag, the flag of England and part of the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom. As well, English people consume traditional English food and drinks.

But 23rd April is not just known as the "national" day of England. This day is celebrated as the commemoration of William Shakespeare's birthday and death. He was baptised the 26th April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and he became the greatest English writer and the best dramatist of the world. He wrote about 38 plays (including Hamlet, Macbeth, The tempest or Romeo and Juliet), 154 sonnets and two long narrative poems.

Known as the "Bard of Avon", today we can visit the theatre which was built in London by his playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's men, in 1599, recently rebuilt: The Globe.

To know more about Shakespeare and The Globe, follow this link and experience the virtual tour:

http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/virtual-tour

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. He lived in the 6th century A.D., and came to Ireland to convert its people to Christianity.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on 17 March, which is said to be the date of his death. It is the Irish national day, which is celebrated widely by English speaking people with or without Irish ancestry. This day has come to be associated with everything Irish: anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. Most importantly, it is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide.

Many people wear green clothes, eat Irish food and drink the Irish Guinness, which many bars also try and dye green. Big cities and small towns alike celebrate with parades. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green!
 

Everyone can be Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!

Do you want to learn more? 
Visit http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day 

Valentine's Day

Let me give you my hand;

May it ever be there for you.

Let me give you my shoulder;

May it always comfort you.

Let me give you my arms;

May them only hold you.

Let me give you my heart;

May it only love you.

Day of Non-Violence and Peace

We can. We can heal the world. We can make it a better place.

"Heal the World" is a song from Michael Jackson released in 1991. The music video features children living in countries suffering from unrest. It encourages humanity to try and heal all conflicts and abuse in the world, to make the world "a better place... for the entire human race". This song also inspired the creation of the Heal the World Foundation, a charitable organization which was designed to improve the lives of children in need.