Oscars Awards 2011

Let's take some breath to have a look at the best Hollywood movies this year. For a full list of awards, visit npr's "And the oscar goes to..."

Have you seen any of the awarded films? Would you recommend any? Why? Why not? Who was your favourite actor/actress?

Compulsive Hoarders

Dear NI1,

Now that we are talking about clearing up, I'd like you to listen to this piece of news from VOA English about hoarders and compulsive hoarding syndrome.

And you? Do you clean up from time to time? How? Do you know any hoarder?

As you can see, you can listen and read it at the same time. Besides the speed is quite slow for you to download on your mp3 devices.

An invitation

Dear NB1 students,

I'd like you to drop your cards for a special occasion on the "comentario". You can write a card for :

- a birthday party
- a wedding
- a new baby
- when ill
- retirement

Or you may want to wish well to Ana Barreiro's dad who is ill in hospital. I send you a big hug Ana. Hope your dad gets well soon!

Arizona Burger Restaurant

Hey! Did you know about this restaurant in Arizona, Heart Attack Grill? Would you give it a go? How unhealthy is it? Should the government intervine?

Pronounciation of past tense

How do you pronounce the past tense of irregular verbs?
Do you remember the rule?
worked /t/
loved /d/
decided /id/


Practice here or in this quiz!

Wednesday 23, 2011

Dear NB1 students,

These are the pairs for the Speaking test on Wed 23rd. Good luck!

PAIRS		17:30
Josefina C	Trinidad M	17:30
Teresa N	Manuela B	17:45
Manuela	Alberto R	18h
Pilar D	Jorge B	18:15
Juan L & Francisco P	Antonio R. L	18:30
Antonia M	Gema M	18:45h
Elena L	Mª Carmen B	19h
Ángel M	Mª Luisa A	19:30
BREAK
Reyes M	Silvia G	19:45
Daniel I	Ana F	20h
Lourdes S	Inmaculada	20:15

Pairs for Friday 18th

Hi!
This is the NI1 Tuesday and Thursday Group schedule for the Speaking Test on Friday 18th.
Good luck!

PAIRS		TIME
Javier de F.	Miguel Ángel A.	17:30
Inma M. & Francisca P.	Isabel H.	18h
Cristina M.	Cristina N.	18:30
Andrea G.	Layla K.	19h
Gloria E.	Miguel Ángel R.	19:30
Ana S.	Beatriz O.	20h
Montserrat S.	César B.	20:30
Rafael R.	M.ª Carmen O.	21h

On the phone

Dear NB1,

This is a nice lesson on language used when talking on the phone from EF. Watch, learn and try!

Everyday English

Have a look at these situations from Headway (OUP). Click on "Play" and listen to the dialogues as many times as you wish.
You can hide Part A or Part B and play with your memory!!

• On the phone
• At the airport
• Directions 1
• Hello and goodbye
• In a cafe
• Social expressions

Writing Emails

Dear NI1 students,

For next week we are going to write down 3 short emails for three different situations:
A. You borrowed your friend's CD and broke it.
B. You had dinner at a friend's house on Friday.
C. Your boss is going on holiday next week.

Write an email for each situation, following instructions on your workbook, p. 78-79.
You can drop your emails in this post.

February Exams

Hi!

I just wanted to remind you of our February exams. NI1 students from Monday and Wednesday Group will do their written test on February 21 and 23rd, Speaking test on March 4th. (Sorry it's March 11th)

Tuesday and Thursday Group on February 22nd and 24th, Speaking test on February 18th.

NB1 will do their written test on Monday 21st. The Speaking test on Wednesday 23rd at 17:30.

I'll be posting info about pairs and the time of the speaking tests in the following days.

Fireworks by Katy Perry

This is a nice song about believing in ourselves and the inner power that each one of you has. You can follow the lyrics in this video. Listen to it and have fun!

Tiger Mums

Dear NI1 students,

Have you heard of the new controversy in the USA? The book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a stir among parents and psychologists. Mrs Chua is a mother of Chinese origins who taught her two children to be the best by means of a very tough education.
This video shows different opinions about raising kids. Listen to it and answer, Why is this way of educating critisized? What are the benefits? And how about you? What do you think it is the best way? The Western way or the Chinese way? Give your opinion!

Google Art Project

For those interested in art, a schoolmate, César, has passed me this wonderful link to Google Art Project.
You can explore great museums, go from room to room and get a very close look at invaluable pieces of art. What else? Why don't you start on the National Gallery in London and look at Holbein's The Ambassadors in honour of our school street?
Where are the Ambassadors from? What do the symbols represent? What's the relation among them?

Past Simple

Dear NB1,

You can practice the past simple of verbs in the Englich Hilfen site. Have fun!
- Crossword
- Was or were 1
- Was or were 2
- Sentences in the past (Regular Verbs)
- Simple past (all verbs)

Did you find them useful?

British vs Canadian English

Watch Rapconteur Baba Brinkman versus hip hop emcee Professor Elemental in a rap battle ’tween British and Canadian English. The video from MacMillan has been put together by Tommy Nagle; you’ll need to do some pausing and rewinding to get the most out of it.