Argente\’s blog

Time to visit the school library and pick up a book from the adapted reading section.

• Each book is classified according to topics( adventure, mystery, drama etc…) and it has a coloured sticker that marks its level of difficulty. Choose the appropriate level for 1º NI.

• Read the book and listen to it, if it comes with a CD.

• Use the Book Report Organizer  to take notes on the book you are writing about. You can download it if you click on the words in blue; there will be one availabe in class and you only have to copy it.

• Use the tips provided in the following website http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/hh/writeideas/articles/0,28372,634427,00.html

• Write your bookreport and hand it to the teacher.

• You have from November 2008 until the end of February 2009.

• Remember that reading is essential to fix grammatical structures and vocabulary!!

Halloween is practically round the corner; next Friday 31st is the time of the year when spirits are believed to wander around the earth.At least, that is what the ancient Celts used to believe,and that is why they would try to scare the spirits away.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever experienced an encounter with a spirit?

This is the question asked to several people in the following interview.Click on the link below and you will be able to listen to six people with different accents( Canada, Britain, USA, Sweden and Australia)You can also read the transcript, after you have listened to their answers a couple of times.

http://www.elllo.org/english/Mixer/55-Ghosts.html#TextPage  

If you have time, write a comment, and answer the question:

Do you believe in ghosts?

in Unit 3 we read about The Grand Canyon, which is considered one of the great world wonders and I am sure everyone has seen pictures like this one below

But, Do you know where it is located? How was it formed? etc…

Just a couple of minutes to take this simple quiz on The Grand Canyon

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/games/brainteaser/grandcanyon/grandcanyon.html

I would love to visit the Grand Canyon myself,I have to confess. It’s one of those things that is considered a “once in a lifetime” experience or something to do before we pass away.. Let’s take a virtual trip to Arizona, and see for ourselves if  it is worthwhile flying across the Atlantic.

Watch the video and ask the following question? Which adjectives do visitors use to describe this natural wonder?

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=STxZcdVk3Tk&feature=related

 Yesss!!! Awesome!!

Awesome means: inspiring awe

There’s another adjective worth learning: awe-inspiring¨: amazing, magnificemt or breathtaking

What adjective would you use to describe it?

Friday 31st November we celebrate Halloween in the English-speaking world and probably you know a little about this ancient celebration that is becoming so popular in Spain. I don’t know about you but this celebration is a favourite of mine and I do enjoy doing a special class on it. However, if you could not come to class and you still want to research a little bit more on the historical aspects of this festivity. Stop and have a look at the following links and watch the videos.

Watch the following clip on the origins of Halloween in the National Geographic Channel.

Go to the website of ” THE HISTORY CHANNEL”  and find out about the history of this Celtic Celebration:

History

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=713&display_order=1&mini_id=1076

 Halloween comes to America

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=715&display_order=1&sub_display_order=2&mini_id=1076

 Today’s Traditions

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=714&display_order=1&sub_display_order=3&mini_id=1076

 Around the world

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=727&display_order=1&sub_display_order=4&mini_id=1076

 Superstitions

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=56057&display_order=1&sub_display_order=5&mini_id=1076

The History of Jack O’lantern 

http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=716&display_order=4&mini_id=1076

Watch a video about the legend of Jack O’lantern.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=dcpeiEgi9Z8&feature=related

or click on the following link:

http://link.history.com/services/link/bcpid1811456971/bclid1840692542/bctid1840617551

Margaret Atwood has been recently awarded the Principe de Asturias prize for her literary career and she has visited Oviedo to collect her award in the ceremony that takes place around this time of the year. She  has also visited the Faculty of  Arts and Languages at the University of Oviedo and read extracts from her work.In the school library we have several volumes of some of her novels, so I recommend you to have a look at them and maybe read one of her novels.

If you want to read a profile about this interesting Canadian writer, go to the following link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/atwoodm2.shtml

And if like me, you could not attend her talk last Thursday at the Faculty of Philology, we can still listen to her talking about her book Moral Disorder and also about her early career aspirations

Click on the link below

http://www.booklounge.ca/multimedia/atwoodmargaret/index.html