Can you tell me what you can see in the picture that strikes you as odd?

 

SOME INFO

Hi there, 

I have uploaded new materials to the virtual classroom (for A2, B2.1 and C2.2) including some assignments. Just in case you haven't seen it, even though I have sent you all a message.

Sending Christmas hugs,

MJ

What do all the other teachers think? Can you relate?

 

A2: The Monster that stole Christmas: The Grinch

"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season! Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.” These are two lines from the 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! which introduced millions of children to one of Dr. Seuss’ most famous characters, the Grinch.

A VILE PLAN

In the story the Grinch lives in isolation, in a home overlooking the town of Whoville. Unlike the Whos who live in Whoville, the Grinch hates Christmas, and so he formulates a plan to destroy it. On Christmas Eve, he disguises himself as Santa Claus, and that night while the Whos are sleeping, he breaks into their homes and steals all their Christmas presents and decorations.

On Christmas morning, however, the Grinch is shocked to hear the Whos of Whoville rejoicing, and he realises that there’s more to Christmas than material goods and decorative details. He returns everything to the Whos, and celebrates Christmas with them that year —and presumably every year after that.

AN ICONIC CHARACTER

Despite his transformation in the story, the Grinch is typically represented as a character who hates Christmas, similar to the character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge was created over a hundred years earlier by the British author Charles Dickens, who introduced him to the world through his 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.

The Grinch has been the subject of TV series, films and musical theatre. Notable among them are the 2000 live-action film starring Jim Carrey and the 2018 computer-animated film featuring the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch. The Grinch is often depicted on Christmas memorabilia, he has even inspired a range of ugly green sweaters, which make for funny Christmas presents.

DR. SEUSS

As famous as the Grinch is his American creator, Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), who wrote under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss. Although Dr. Seuss worked as an illustrator, a political cartoonist and a filmmaker, he is best known as a children’s author. He illustrated and wrote more than sixty children’s books, all in rhymed verse, and introduced the world to many other iconic characters, including the Cat in the Hat, and Horton the Elephant. By the time Dr. Seuss died, over six hundred million copies of his books had been sold, and they had been translated into more than twenty different languages. Dr. Seuss has become as iconic as his most famous characters and continues to inspire and delight children all around the world.

GLOSSARY

quite: del todolines: linesoverlooking: con vistas aUnlike: al contrario queEve: víspera (Christmas Eve: Nochebuena)disguises: disfrazarsehowever: sin embargorejoicing: legrarse, regocijarseto realise: darse cuentanovella: novela cortaCarol: villancicoto feature: incluirto depict: representarugly: feoscartoonist: dibujante, humorista gráficoCat in the Hat: gato con sombrerodelight: deleitar

Source: Speak UpI'm not sure if you'll be able to listen as well, but the link is below and you can try:The Monster that stole Christmas: The Grinch (speakup.es)

PRONUNCIATION: The /iː/ Sound (beach, peach, sheet)

This video is super short, but also incredibly useful. There are a lot more on YouTube also by Emma.

Please, learn the rules! When do we use “THE” in English? SUPER USEFUL FOR ALL LEVELS!

How Britain's taste for tea may have been a life saver. C2.2

 Source: BBC

You can read the article by clicking on the link below.

How Britain's taste for tea may have been a life saver - BBC Future

Symphony in Slang (B2.1 & C2.2)

A gorgeous short film to practise slang and idioms. I'm afraid the ending is missing though and I haven't been able to find a better version.

Do share some of the expressions you understand and their meaning if you feel like it.

A2: Super simple Listening Comprehension.

 Click on the link below to do the exercise:

This Week in History | EnglishClub

They speak very, very slowly. The difficult vocabulary is explained and there are some multiple questions to answer at the end.

Phrasal Verb

Do you know the meaning of the verb to set off? Can you think of any synonyms?

Three very different Christmas songs.

Thanks so much, Eva (B2.1) for reminding me of this song.  I love the irony and the Irish vibes.

Trivia: Their original name was Póg mo thóin  wich means Kiss my Ass.

I know you'll love the next one (read the irony in this sentence) and we'll most probably listen in class.

The last one is Tommy Johansson's latest song.

Art

What do you know about Margaret Keanes? 

Do you like her paintings? 

Have you seen the biopic about her life? If you haven't, you can check the trailer below. It's a truly fascinating story.

What does this idiom mean?

I tried adding coconut milk to the curry as you suggested, and it worked like a charm. It was really delicious.

10 Life-changing SELF CARE HABITS for the Highly Sensitive Person. B2.1 and C2.2

Do you think you are a HSP? Why?

Do you think this is a real think or just a fad?

Do you think being a highly sensitive person has more advantages or disadvantages?

Blog contribution by Samu M. (A2)

After twenty years, yesterday I watched Mr Bean on TV and I was happy.

Mr Bean went to university to take a test. He couldn't do the exam because he couldn't see the questions well. 

While another student was doing the test, he tried to copy his answers. In the end, he didn't have time to finish the exam.

Another day, Mr Bean went to the beach. He wasn't wearing  swimming trunks, and he wanted to change his clothes. When he was getting changed, he didn't realise the only person who was  near him was blind.

In the next sketch, Mr Bean wanted go to the fair, he looked for the right road and ended up with a baby in his car. He's very funny. At the fair he forgot the baby on different rides.

In my house Mr Bean always paints a smile on our faces.

Surnames, Telephone Numbers, Street Names a...

If you are in A2, please watch this. It will be very useful for the Certificate Exam.

There are exercises and then you can check the correct answers.

Controversial topic

What is your opinion? For me it's difficult to decide because in this woman's culture it's very difficult to lead a happy life if other people think you can't have children.

Note: I'm sorry, I know the picture is a bit blurry.

Source: Woman's Own

What can you tell me about this man?

I read a very interesting article about Darren McGarvey in Speak Up yesterday. Can you look for information about him and share it here? Thanks.

New Idiom

What is the meaning of the highlighted expression?

Things are looking up now that the tourist season is here.

And one more question: can you tell me where the three pictures below were taken?

Thursday 21st December. Christmas Party.

Dear all,

You also have this info in the virtual classroom. I hope to see you there. There will be music, sweets, a competition, food and prizes.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Cheers,

Maria

Article shared by Esther G. (C2.2). Please DO read it and write your opinions in the comment section.

Romantic novels: Let’s welcome the new Prince Charming.

A romantic novel generally refers to a type of a fiction genre where two people meet, fall in love at first sight, separate because their love is impossible and finally live happily ever after. 

There are many sub-genres, from historical to contemporary romance and more specifically, paranormal, time-travel and science fiction romance. All of them have one main characteristic: love always wins no matter the difficulties. 

Women are the main readers of this genre. Because of that, romantic plots are written from a woman’s perspective and have been adapted through history. Contemporary novels written in the early 70s showed a woman focused on childcare, house-chores and little else. On the contrary, novels written nowadays, show an empowered woman who still believes in love, but can also survive by herself without a strong and handsome Prince Charming next to her. 

According to a recent online survey carried out among 1,234,563 readers, the most important values in a contemporary Prince Charming are intelligence, weakness, and sensibility. Of course, beauty and strength are also part of the equation. The tendency is a sensitive alpha-male hero. 

Love is in the air, love is everywhere….. or not. Whether you prefer romance or another genre, you are free to choose. Go to the library, take your time, enjoy your reading and please, do not stop reading. There are thousands of books waiting to be read.  

Just for fun

Laughter is the best medicine

Explanation of Life On the first day, God created the dog and said: "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?" So God agreed. On the second day, God created the monkey and said: "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?" And God agreed. On the third day, God created the cow and said: "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said: "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give you back the other forty?" And God agreed again. On the fourth day, God created man and said: "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years." But man said: "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God, "You asked for it." So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren, and for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Your Reality. Award-winning short film on Gaslighting

Can you watch this short film and share your opinion with us? Do you think this happens in real life?

At the optician/eye doctor

Very often, when we study a new language, we learn a lot of big words and can talk about complicated topics, but we lack the vocabulary and skills to face an everyday situation. Below you can see three videos with information about your eyesight and how to speak about it. All of them can be useful for A2, B2.1 and C2.2 (the last one is a bit difficult though), but I have organised them by levels.

Can you think of other situations you'd like to practise?

A2

B2

C2

Blue

 A friend of mine shared this with me and I find it both interesting and intriguing. What do you think it means?

A2

 Can you write a paragraph by filling in the blanks?

Mr Bean. A2.2 class exercise.

We are going to watch this video in class and then we'll write sentences in the past to tell the story.

B2.1. English Grammar - Easy Introduction to Passive

Ronnie is a great teacher, but I don't agree with her: passive is very easy to learn for Spanish speakers, so please don't be discouraged.

The happiest man on earth: 99 year old Holocaust survivor shares his sto...

I think this is a story worth sharing, watching and reading. Thanks, Jose Luis.

"Curious George" A2.2

This book is very old, but it's a classic of children's literature.

Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written by Margret and H. A. Rey and illustrated by Alan Shalleck. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original book series.

George is described as "a good little monkey, and always very curious". Despite being referred to as a monkey throughout the series, he is depicted without a tail. In the first book, George is caught by "The Man in the Yellow Hat" and taken from Africa to America where the two live together. George and the Man in the Yellow Hat become friends and are shown going on adventures together. (Source: Wikipedia)

Can you solve the secret assassin society riddle?

I hope you are better at this than I am and also more patient. Besides you'll be able to work in groups which will make everything easier.

Pretendians

Do you know what the term above means?

English proverbs

Can you think of proverbs in Spanish that mean the same as the ones below?

- Out of sight, out of mind.

- Birds of a feather, flock together.

- People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

- The early bird gets the worm.

- The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

- Every cloud has a silver lining.

- A friend in need is a friend indeed.

- A drowning man will clutch at a straw.

Storytime with Brad Meltzer - I am Helen Keller

I Am Martin Luther King Jr by Brad Meltzer

I hope you enjoy this story. There are a lot more by the same author. You can listen to them on YouTube or check his webpage:

Home | Ordinary People Change the World

You can also read the book at your own pace in the A2 virtual classroom.

I Need A New Butt/Bum. A story for children.

Do you understand the meaning of the words 'bum' and 'butt'? Do you know any synonyms?

Do you understand the story?

Do you think it's appropriate for children?

I am Emma Woodhouse - Emma Approved: Ep 1

You are probably aware of the fact that one of Jane Austen's finished novels is called Emma. The original Emma was used to getting what she wanted and thought she always knew best.

This YouTube series is loosely based on the novel and a lot of fun, it seems. If you don't have time for TV shows, watching this could suit you as the episodes are quite short.

I think this is too difficult for A2, but, of course, it's your decision. Besides you can watch it with or without subtitles.

I have some questions about the first episode:

1. What adjectives does Emma use to describe herself?

2. The man in the picture is the ............................ of Cuddly Cupcakes.

3. Emma says in the future she will be like ......................

4. Why is Alex answering her calls?

5. What bombshell does Annie drop at the end of the episode?

Please write your answers in the comment section. If you still have problems with that let me know.

Idioms.

What is the meaning of the highlighted expression? Can you explain and choose the right answer? And do you know all the idioms in the picture?

Sharon always ums and ahs when she

 a. has a sore throat

 b. feels really good

 c. can't make up her mind