April Fools' Day

"April Fools ! " Should you hear these words, it means two things : 1) it is April, 1st; 2) someone has just pulled a prank on you ! Why ? It's April Fools' Day. On this day, people pull prank and spread rumours and hoaxes. The media also invent some fake -flabbergasting - news and some people usually fall for them or buy them ! Yeah ! This is similar to Spain's Innocents' Day (28th December). This day goes back to the year 1957, where the BBC broadcast people picking spaghetti from plants. The audience thought it all was true and phoned the station to buy these plants ! Here you can watch it in the video : 

1. Now I will propose you a little game. I will enumerate five 'news items' and you will have to decide which one of them is TRUE ! Four of them will be hoaxes. Ready ?

a)  UFO lands in London

From : http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/ufo_lands_near_london

b) Queen Elizabeth sent her first email in 1976

From : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34185586

c) A new race of penguins that can fly have been discovered 

d) Big Ben will go digital in 2020

From : https://currentopinionsofnews.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/big-ben-to-go-digital/

e) Mummified fairy discovered ! 

From : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lebanoncircle/the-derbyshire-mummified-fairy-ooak-kit-and-dvd-wo

Answers: Only one of the news is true. Which one ? Well, letter b, indeed, surprising though it may sound ! If you want to see some of the most famous hoaxes of all time, click on this link.

2. Now let's learn some vocabulary for this day, related to tricks :

- Tell jokes / crack jokes = 'contar chistes'

- Trick someone / deceive someone / fool someone = engañar a alguien

- Play tricks on someone / pull pranks on someone = gastarle bromas a alguien

- Fall into a trap = 'caer en la trampa'

- Take the bait = 'picar el anzuelo'

- I don't buy it / I haven't fallen for it = 'no me lo trago' / 'no me lo creo'.

- He is a prankster / joker / jester / quipster = 'Él es un bromista.'

- April Fool ! = '¡ Inocente !' 

- April Fool pranks = 'inocentadas.'

- Spread a hoax = 'extender un rumor.'

3. To finish with, if you are much of a prankster, here you have a compilation of some interesting pranks of April Fool's Day. 

4. This video will prompt you to pull pranks on others. I hope you never put these "inspiring" ideas into practice.

I hope you have learnt a lot about April Fools' Day. Which is your favourite prank ? Post it on a comment ! 

You can now sign up for the language school !

If  you are 16 along this year, then you can sign up for the language school of your city or village (be it Santa Marta or Salamanca). English is the most important language for your future and it will help to get a job, so why not study it after school ? Here you have the link to sign up for it : http://eoisalamanca.centros.educa.jcyl.es/sitio/index.cgi?wid_seccion=53.
Here you have a video about what you can find at the language school in Salamanca. Enjoy.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B16B91ITo8GCMWluNWdQZ0d1eThTMEVLa3ZPcTRLNDRLWFgw/view?usp=sharing

Here you have the brochure of the language school : 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dsdmrLIMGY7HZn0sNtBHP1odpUm1KGwAF-9n1WXaNFRLtiLYZAet5GLX8uidWdidilH8kZVZUQ-ybKwn

The Language School in SAnta Marta organizes an 'open house' for anyone interested. The details of this event are in this link : https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4SuuoOWoc2_c3E3cWM0SmptQnh4Y0RBQmxwYTVjeGpjS3Fn/view?usp=sharing

Easter videos and exercises !

Did you read my post about Easter ? Now that Easter is coming to an end, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare a compilation of some videos of Easter. You will be able to see the different traditions and customs mentioned in my post. In these funny videos that you can also test your listening comprehension :


Did you like the video ? It was really easy ! Not let's talk about British all over the world :

Here you have another interesting video !


And the last one : 

Did you like my compilation of videos ? Did you do the exercises ? I hope so ! Easter is over, which means Easter holidays are about to finish and we have to come back to ... school ! 

Easter is not only a Spanish tradition

Hello there,

Holidays at last ! It's been a long term for me but  I am finally on holidays : on Easter holidays ! There is a wide misconception that Easter is not "celebrated" in the English-speaking world. I agree that Spanish celebrations of Easter outnumber those in the English culture, but Easter traditions in the English-speaking countries are also important. Let's summarize some of the most important ones : 

1. Easter eggs : At Easter, it is customary to buy, give or exchange Easter eggs. Why ? The eggs represent Jesus Christ and when they are broken that represents his resurrection (the breaking of Jesus's tomb). In a wider sense, eggs are a symbol of rebirth and fertility.  There are eggs of various types nowadays, but chocolate eggs seem to have flooded the market. There are also traditional boiled eggs dyed with a lot of decoration. Hard-boiled eggs are very popular at Easter and some people even paint them and dye them :

From : http://headingforenglish.blogspot.com.es/2015/03/easter-eggs.html

Eggs were really popular because during Lent, neither meat nor eggs should be eaten. It was during Easter after Lent that people could 'feast' on eggs. 

2. Easter games 

Easter eggs are the protagonist of some really entertaining traditions :

- Egg tapping or egg knocking : In this fun game, you have to try to break another contestant's egg by tapping or knocking it with your eggs, but without breaking your egg. Yes, you hard-boile your eggs, you decorate them only to use them to break other people's eggs. Ironical ! 

From : http://blog.haven.com/2015/03/28/five-different-easter-traditions-to-try-out-with-your-kids/ 

- Easter hunt : This outdoor game is ideal for small children. Adults hide some eggs outside for children to look for them. These eggs are usually filled with chocolate or with other candies. So, in other words, it is like a treasure scavenger hunt but with eggs ! 

From : http://www.brooklinoptimist.org/optimist/programs/easter-egg-hunt.html

- Easter egg roll : It is a race where children must push the eggs with a spoon. It is usually held on Easter Monday in the White House Lawns. 

From : http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/easter6.htm

- Easter bunny : It is a bunny that brings Easter eggs to children. Much like an Easter Santa Claus.

From : http://cmrrevents.com/wordpress/easter-trains/

3. Easter foods : There are a lot of different typical Easter foods, namely : 

    

Hot cross bun                               Chocolate Easter bunny

 

Simnel cake                                           Jelly beans

4. Important dates :

- Lent : Six weeks before Easter Sunday. During this time, people must refrain from eating one food of their liking and be disciplined (which includes being a good Christian, read the Holy Scriptures...). The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday.

- Palm Sunday : On the Sunday before Easter. This day is celebrated with a traditional mass, and a parade where people carry palm branches to welcome Jusus Christ

- Maundy Thursday

It is the day preceding Good Friday. This day welcomes the Holy Week. In the past, the monarchs used to wash the feet of the poor in Westminster Abbey. This also served to commemorate the Last Supper. Nowadays, the Queen gives money to a group of old people very famous or important for the community.

- Good Friday : To commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion. 

- Easter Sunday : To celebrate Jesus's resurrection. Easter egg hunts are usually held on this date. 

5. Morris dance : It is a typically English dance to scare the spirits of winter away. 

6. Mass : Of course, churches organize quite a lot of Easter services at Easter, much like in Spain. 

Did you enjoy Easter in the UK and the USA. They have some really interesting traditions. What is your best ? Post a comment. 

Saint Patrick's Day

Tomorrow is a very important day in the United Kingdom and especially in Ireland. It is Saint Patrick's Day. Today in class you have learnt a lot about this day. Here I share with you the video that we watched in class.

And now I share with you some of the interesting facts and vocabulary that we have seen today :

- Ireland is divided into two parts : Northern Ireland (whose capital is Belfast) and southern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Eire (whose capital is Dublin). 

- Saint Patrick (Maewyn Succat) is the patron saint of Ireland. He was born in England and then he Christianized Ireland. He explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) with the well-known shamrock. 

From : http://www.markmillerhumorist.com/least-known-facts-st-patrick.html

- There will be a big parade in Dublin tomorrow,  but not only there, New York's parade is also famous and Saint Patrick is celebrated all over the globe. In Chicago, for example, you can see the river completely coloured in green !

- Remember to wear something green if you don't want to get pinched by others ! 

- The national symbol of Ireland is the harp.

From : http://www.abitofhome.ca/ireland-harp-magnet.html

- Leprechauns are very popular. They are goblin-like figures who love gold and always carry a pot of gold around. If captured by men, they can grant them three wishes. 

From : http://www.123rf.com/photo_10711921_lucky-leprechaun-with-shamrock-and-treasure.html

- The typical beer in Ireland is Guinness. It is delicious black beer brewed in the Guinness Warehouse in Dublin. You can drink a pint with a shamrock designed in its foam... Delicious ! Remember, Arthur Guinness only pays 49 pounds as a yearly rent. 

From : https://diydilettante.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/the-genius-of-guinness/

- If you want the gift of gab (eloquence), you must kiss Blarney Stone located in Blarney's castle in Cork ! It's a bit disgusting, though. 

- Ireland is nicknamed as the emerald island because of its green colour due to abundant rainfall (that will later result in lush greenery). 

The best composition of the month : My favourite place (2º ESO A)

As you know Easter holidays are approaching but still some of you keep doing your homework and aprticipating. Yesterday, I asked you to write a composition about your favourite place using the adjectives we have seen in class. After correcting some of your compositions, I selected the best one by Sara García Pelazas. Here you have it :

My favourite place (by Sara García Pelazas)

"My favourite place in the world is a beach in Gijón. The beach's name is San Lorenzao. It is peacefull, pleasant and sandy. In San Lorenzo you can walk on the beach, especially in spring and in autumn. In summer, you can go swimming but the water is very cold. At night, you can have dinner by the beach and listen to the waves. It is an incredible beach."

From : http://www.el-caminoreal.com/geo/playas/playadesanlorenzo.htm

From : http://www.miguelprado.com/gijoneninvierno/PlayaSLorenzo.htm

Thank you Sara for your work. What do you think about Sara's place ? Come on, post a comment ! 

Dear students, 
If you click on the picture, you will be able to listen to the song : Hello by Adele and complete it with the missing words. I hope you like it : 

All about the US

Dear students,
Here you have Lynnae's presentation if you want to see it again. Pay attention ! Lynnae has shown very interesting that I may include in the next exam... hehe.



Here you can also see the video of the US's national anthem sung by Lady Gaga :

And to finish with, here you have some Easter eggs and the Easter bunny :

See you again : lyrics training

Dear students,
Here you have the link to practise the song : See you Again in the LYrics Training webpage. I hope you enjoy it : 

Links All About Britain

Dear students, 
In the link you have once again the audios of All About Britain. 
https://www.burlingtonbooks.com/Spain/Page.aspx?PageID=1720. It will be a very good idea for you to listen to the book again for your exam on Thursday.

Strange translations of films and TV programmes

Dear students,
As I promised, here you have my presentation about the 'curious' translations of some films and programmes. I hope you enjoy it :

The best composition of the month : life in 3060

To finish unit 5 I asked my students of 2º ESO to imagine what life will be like in 3060 and here you can have a look at Marina Alvarez's composition and her imaginative future :

Life in 3060 (by Marina Álvarez Rodríguez, 2º ESO A)

"Life in 3060 will probably be very different from life today. People will live on the moon because the Earth will be polluted . But every month many people will travel to the Earth to clean it. People will play with gravity and will go to schools, shops, markets, jobs.... People will invent new 'rocketscars', a type of transport that you use in a road or to go to other planets. People will wear special clothes in different places ; in home normal clothes; out of home, space clothes... People will feel great but they will miss the Earth." 

From : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_the_Moon

From : http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/03/08/rocket-car-track-1000-mph-record-run/

Good job, Marina. I really like your future although I would prefer humans to keep living on Earth ! The rest : come on ! Post a comment saying your opinion.