Unit 2 Revision

Dear NI1,

You can review some of the grammar and vocab we learnt through the unit on these links.

Merry Christmas!

Present perfect and past simple (1)

Present perfect and past simple (2)

Present perfect continuous (1)

Present perfect continuous (2)

Comparatives and superlatives (1)

Comparatives and superlatives (2)

 
Vocabulary:
 

• How long + take
• Money
• Transport and travel

All I want for Christmas is You

Watching movies in English

As we commented, another good way of improving your English is watching your favourite movies in English. These are the cinemas in Original Version in Madrid:

• Bellas Artes Cine-Estudio,  
• Cines Golem,  
• La Enana Marrón,  
• Pequeño Cine Estudio,  
• Princesa, 
• Renoir Cuatro Caminos,  
• Renoir Plaza de España,  
• Renoir Princesa,  
• Renoir Retiro,  
• Verdi  
• Yelmo Cineplex Ideal  
• Cine Doré (2,50 euros, December movie listings)

Althought distributed all around the city of Madrid, most of them are located downtown, among traditional cinemas and inside shopping centers. 

Plaza España gathers most of the cinemas in OV. There you can go to: Princesa, Renoir Plaza de España, Renoir Princesa y Alphaville. 
Have fun!

Mini Sagas

As commented in class, a mini saga is a short story told in 50 words. With some discipline and creativity, you can say a lot in 50 words. Find an example from Squidoo.com below:

Love at first sight

John was a regular in that train. Today seemed different, probably because of Sally who was in New York for work. They started the conversation casually but both became very close in less than thirty minutes. They exchanged phone numbers, of course. John promptly called a day later – “Wrong number!”


I'd like you to be inventive, ingenious and write down your minisagas in the comment section. Don't be shy!

Charles Dickens: A biography

Dear all,

As this year we celebrate the bicentenary of the 19th c. British writer, Charles Dickens, I'd like to show this video again created by my colleague, Miguel A Sánchez. 

It was created thinking of his students at the NI2 level. But NI1 students may also find it interesting as we are talking about this writer in class.

Let's hear about the man's life behind the masterpieces!

Christmas Shopping

Now that Christmas is approaching why not watch a video about Christmas Shopping in London? 
Think about the following questions first: 

• What do shops in Spain put in their windows? 
• Have you heard of any British shops? 
• Where do British Christmas traditions come from? 

Now watch Amandeep visit Fortnum & Mason...from the British Council. 
Don't forget to do the activities below the video in this link.

The Globe Theater

Hi! 

Why don't you have a take a virtual look at the Globe Theater by the River Themes in London?

 
This is a modern reconstruction of  Sharespeare's theater. The original one was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613.

Both of them have thatched roofs.

Babylag

This is a new word that has just come into the English language:

babylag also baby-lag or baby lag

 
noun [uncountable]

A feeling of being very tired and sometimes confused because of the lack of sleep caused by looking after a very young bab.

babylagged (adjective)

'It's a feeling all new parents are more than familiar with. Not enough sleep at night leaves you feeling like a zombie during the day; caring for your baby and yourself while continuously craving nice, deep sleep. Now it's got a name; Baby Lag …'
PR Newswire 17th October 2012

 

'I'm 82% babylagged! Basically I'm bloody knackered with a teething 9 month daughter, lively toddler, stroppy teenager, travelling husband and part time job!
forum post, www.netmums.com 17th September 2012

Crack a joke

Dear NI2 students,

What is the longest word in the English language?

"Smiles". Because there is a mile between its first and last letters!

What's the definition of a pessimist? A pessimist is a well-informed optimist.

We listened to some jokes on Wednesday, why don't you read some in these links and then crack a few ones in class on Monday? ;-)  

For some Scottish jokes, visit this web page. Why not some British jokes, as well?

A cobbled street in Hampstead

^{A cobbled street in Hampstead, London}

Hampstead (/ˈhæmpstɪd/ or /-stɛd/), commonly known as Hampstead Village, is an affluent area of London, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) north-west of Charing Cross. 

It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. It has some of the most expensive housing in the London area. The village of Hampstead has more millionaires within its boundaries than any other area of the United Kingdom.

As you already know, we can find there The Spaniards Inn, a historic pub built in 1585. 

The pub also has a great literary heritage. Not only has it been mentioned in Dickens's The Pickwick Papers and Bram Stoker's Dracula, but it can count among its previous frequenters the artist Joshua Reynolds and the poets Byron and Keats.

Delay

Dear NI2 students,

As for the doubt that came up in class, mind that "delay" may be countable or uncountable: 

noun /dɪˈleɪ/ [C or U] 

Definition

when you have to wait longer than expected for something to happen, or the time that you have to wait.

This situation needs to be tackled without delay.

Long delays are predicted on the motorway because of the accident.

Airline travelers are experiencing delays of up to three hours. 
There has been a delay in the book's publication.

The Great Exhibition of 1851

Dear NI1 students,

As we're reading about Victorian time in England, let's have a look at the exhibition that took place in 1851 in London. As you may already know, there is a painting of such exhibition and the opening ceremony by Queen Victoria at the Juan March Exhibition in C/Castelló, 77.

In 1851 Great Britain was arguably the leader of the  industrial revolution and feeling very secure in that ideal. The Great Exhibition of 1851 in London was conceived to symbolize this industrial, military and economic superiority of Great Britain.  Just representing the feats of Britain itself would have excluded many of the technological achievements pioneered by the British in its many colonies and protectorates, so it was decided to make the exhibit truly international with invitations being extended to almost all of the colonized world. The British also felt that it was important to show their achievements right alongside those of "less civilized" countries. 

Discover London

Dear NI1 students,

This is the web page where we need to find the information for filling in the blancks of "In and Around London": http://www.visitlondon.com/ and http://www.londontown.com/
Is there any other place that you would like to visit after visiting this web page? 

• Buckingham Palace
• Madame Tussauds
• Vinopolis 

As we talked about the House of Lords in class, have a look at it in this video:

From the East Coast with love

Hi! 

These wonderful pics were sent to us by Ana from NI1. She's travelling around New York and Philadelphia. What a wonderful trip, don't you think? 

La complu en la calle

Hi! 

This is link to a blog of professors who will protest against cuts in education by teaching on the streets on Wednesday 28th. Have a look at their schedule. You might want to join a class.

Andrea passed it on to me: http://lacompluenlacalle.blogspot.com.es/

Thanks!

The Spanish Crisis, a different viewpoint

Dear NI2 students, 

As we commented on the inferiority complex on being Spanish these days, I'd like you to watch this video. Do you agree? What do you think about this topic? Have you changed your mind after watching it?

A Christmas Carol Pantomime

What a better way to celebrate Christmas than going to the theater?

The Pantomime is upon us again, and this year it is a Panto adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".  Book early to avoid disappointment - the details are on the poster.

We look forward to seeing you there!  Tell your friends! 

The Curious incident Webquest

Before start reading the next book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time", students in NI2 should try to find this information that we will comment in class:

WEBQUEST

• Find information about the writer Mark Haddon.
• What is Asperger’s syndrome?  
• What are the signs of Asperger’s syndrome? 
• How is Asperger’s syndrome different from other autism spectrum disorders?

NB1 role plays

Hi!

I just wanted to share these videos from NB1 students at our school. They are my colleague Paula's students. Don't you think they are really good actors as well?

Tha Black Moon Bar:

Hilton Hotel:
 

Treasure Island

British Art from Holbein to Hockney

This is a great exhibition of British art that you can visit at Juan March, (Castelló, 77) from Oct 5 to Jan 20.

Britain seen from the North, 1981. Toni Cragg, Tate

A portrait of of the extraordinary scope and vitality of art in Great Britain since the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century through to the twentieth. This is the essence of this exhibition, whose title, Treasure Island, invokes that of an eminently British writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, being founded on a very simple conviction: namely, that the island has not been explored fully and that it conceals a real treasure in its art, its painting and sculpture, which, like almost every treasure, remains half-hidden, yet to be discovered.

The exhibition presents over 180 pieces – paintings, sculptures, works on paper, books, magazines, manifestos and photographs – produced by more than a hundred different artists, giving an account of the arts in Great Britain that makes manifest the power and particular significance of certain creators and works. 

This wealth of art is organised in seven sections, each corresponding to a different era: Destruction and Reformation (1520–1620), Revolution and the Baroque (1620–1720), Society and Satire (1720–1800), Landscapes of the Mind (1760–1850), Realism and Reaction (1850–1900), Modernity and Tradition (1900–1940), and A Brave New World (1945–1980).