Having fun with my computer
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Listening
Archive for the ‘Listening’ Category
‘Cause this is what it is for me… fun!!!!
,because this is how I felt , by my darling Carmen. And now that we are on that subject I have to confess that although I have been happily married for 17 years , it’s now that I understand that what makes me really happy is having Carmen by my side…(I hope my husband never reads this post). By the way, Carmen has returned home …it finally dawned on her that her place is by my side taking care of me and my family. God bless her!!!Anyway, ‘cause I feel I might be boring you to death with my domestic problems let’s get to the point. What I wanted to share with you is that , apart from spending the summer cooking and cleaning, I also had some fun exploring a new programme (new for me , at least) which I think has lots of potential for my classes. I am just beginning to produce some videos and they have been a lot of effort but I also think it’s been worth the while.
My son Lucas, who is 9, was watching TV (I’m afraid he’s sort of becoming a couch potato if I do nothing about it) when the video of Thriller filled the screen . He called me all excited about what he was seeing. I tried to explain who Michael Jackson was ( difficult when I got to the part of him turning white) and what the video was about ( the part about the graveyard and him turning into a zombie and scaring the girl was his favourite) and then,
in my determination to show him how funny dancing could be I started searching the Net and bumped into this funny page where you can learn how to dance the Thriller Dance.
And well, I am just beginning to think it might be very interesting to teach vocabulary related to verbs of movement in a funny way. So… dear students … get ready, next year when we get to the point of learning verbs related to movement we’ll be dancing Thriller… if you don’t believe me … have a look at how organised they’ve got it all for me , ready to be used!! We might even be asked to perform at the Christmas Party!! How about that!!! I can’t wait!!!
Let’s get started
Step 1. The Dance . There are 8 lessons and each consists of 4 clips
http://thrilltheworld.com/learn/videos
Step 2. The Dance Script
http://thrilltheworld.com/images/uploads/TTW_Official_Dance_Script.pdf
Spet 3. The Lyrics and the Script together
http://thrilltheworld.com/images/uploads/TTW_Lyrics_and_Script.pdf
Related Links:
ELLA: English Language Lab Asturias
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Listening
I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to recommend you this wonderful site , but …better late than never!
This site has been created and is maintained by three colleagues from three different EEOOIII . On their own they have been awarded different prizes and together they have created this wonderful site. My admiration and thanks to you three: María (from EOI Oviedo), Carmen (from EOI Mieres) and Javier (from EOI Luarca).
Now , for you my dearest students and because I can guess that right now you must be frantic (exam is on Monday) looking for new listening comprehensions to do, I am going to link you straightaway to the listening section of ELLA. The link will lead you to a page with all the listenings , find the ones for you level…. ADVANCED.
http://web.educastur.princast.es/proyectos/ella/?cat=17
If you like the site , don’t forget to send them a post. It is always nice to hear that all you effort has been worthwhile !
Related Links:
Learn English by watching videos
Podcards
BBC Learning English
Yappr: What on earth is this?
Understanding “some” Spanish
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Funny Stuff, Listening, Resources
What I’m about to show you is a good example of why English, after all, should not be considered such a difficult language to understand, especially if you compare it to understanding some Spanish native speakers.
Have fun!!!
No kidding now!!If you need to improve your listening skills, why don’t you visit this site? You won’t find any comprehension questions after the audio but you might consider it interesting and useful. The site belongs to the New York Times and it’s a collection of stories of people from New York. Click on the image and it will lead you straight to their homepage.
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Some help with the speaking test.. or not?
The Italian Man who went to Malta
Bush Bloopers
Crisis Subprime- The last laugh
So, let´s imagine that lately you ’ve been having some problems with understanding listening comprehension and all of a sudden ,you realize it’s May and you’re taking your listening test in about a week or so. In that case, there are so many good websites I would recommend that I could keep you busy for the whole year. Today ,let me show you something that I bumped into quite by chance.
It’s a place where you can find subtitled videos and what’s more, you can even request for some videos to be subtitled too. This place is called SubPLY .
As we are learning about food and cooking I tried searching the site by writing the word “food” and I found quite some interesting videos where you can revise vocab.
Why don’t you try it and let me know what you think? Now, click on the image and it’ll link you to their website and ,from then on, you can do your own search.
Related Links:
Learn English by watching videos
Podcards
BBC Learning English
Yappr: What on earth is this?
Are you a Cat or a Dog Person?
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Listening, Word of the Day
Well, this person you are going to see in the video is ,without doubts, crazy about cats. This is what would happen to me if I had to live with even one cat , let alone 130 as this lady… no wonder she’s called the crazy cat lady. Hey! No offence meant I’m just repeating what everybody seems to think about her.Honestly speaking, I admire what she does and I only wish I had the guts to do the same with my beloved dogs.
Now watch the video and if you fancy answering some questions about it. Click here .
And as we are on the subject , how about learning some idioms containing ” cat and/or dog” ?
From the popular ” it’s raining cats and dogs” there’s a wide range of idioms containing these two words. I’m just going to write the ones easy to remember and whose meaning can easily be inferred from context, but bear in mind there are plenty of others.
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The 32-year-old actress spent a large proportion of the week playing cat and mouse with the press
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We were planning a surprise birthday party but Jack let the cat out of the bag and now she knows about it
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I had a dog’s life at school: I was always being beaten.
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After years of neglect, the old artist’s work was recognised and honoured: every dog has his day.
Related Links
The Englishlanguage does not have a Real Academia de la Lengua
How To Pass the Test When You Haven’t Read the Book
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Funny Stuff, Listening
Hey! Hold on a sec… this is not what you think it is but just the opposite .
As the writing test is nearing some of you are probably beginning to wonder whether you’ll have time to finish your novel or whether it might be necessary to find help somewhere else. In case you are considering the infinite possibilities the Internet offers , watch this video… I’ve watched it too. 
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A book Review
The IT Crowd
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Funny Stuff, Listening
The IT Crowd is a British popular cult sitcom . The comedy takes a surreal look at the ‘underclass’ of a company - the Information Technology department set in the computer department of Reynholm Industries. The staff are IT geeks Roy and Moss, and Jen.
MOSS lives with his mum, who also dresses him, styles his hair and buys his clothes.He’s highly intelligent, scared of spiders and has the social skills of a serial killer. The closest he’s got to a woman is Lara Croft. (in the picture the one with the laptop)
ROY is the smiling face of the I.T. Department, Roy’s spiky personality ensures he’ll always be kept away from normal people as long as possible.He’s king of the basement, indulging his love of comic books, fast food, computer games and random arguments with his best friend, Moss. (in the picture the one reading the magazine)
JEN knows nothing about IT, she only got the job because she said she had extensive experience of computers like using mices, clicking, double-clicking, and that thing that goes on the floor… the er hard-drive?As well as being their line manager, Jen is Roy and Moss’ agony aunt, relationship coach and guru about life outside the basement. Not that her life is going particularly well, it’s just better than theirs.
Now, what comes next is homework . There are two videos and this is what you have to do:
VIDEO A. Watch the video three times B. Answer the questions C. Send them to me before April 14th.
1. What two reasons does Moss give Roy to prevent him from using the toilet?
2. The first time the manager asks Roy what happened, what does he answer?
3. What does he say happened to his wheelchair?
4. Does the wheelchair they finally bring belong to Roy? Answer giving details
VIDEO B.
Talking to Jen:
1. Who does he say stole his wheelchair?
2. How has he become disabled?
3.What does he order?
Talking to Lorna:
4. What does Lorna find so difficult about Roy?
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The listening test is knocking on your door
Monty Python: silly job interview
Roald Dahl
David Beckham
As we are learning about the weather …I thought it might be a good idea to teach with rhythm.
It’s Raining Men was originally recorded by The Weather Girls ,who were the duo formed by Martha Wash and Izora Rhodesand . The song went number 1 ,selling over 6million copies worldwide .Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross were both offered this song and turned it down, I guess they are still regretting it.
Geri Halliwell, formerly a member of The Spice Girls, also recorded this song in 2001. Her version was used on the soundtrack to the movie Bridget Jones’ Diary. When released, the single shot straight to number1 for 2 weeks.
If you want to do the listening we did in class , click here http://www.eoilangreo.net/cristina/advanced/itsrainingmen1.htm
The Italian Man who went to Malta
Posted by CRISTINA CABAL DIAZ under Funny Stuff, Listening
The written version of this hilarious sketch has been in my power for years , as many as 15 probably. With the speaking exam at your doorstep I thought it was a good opportunity to show you what you must not do if you want to pass this test with flying colours.
Have fun and study hard !!!
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