31st December: New Year's Eve

As you all know, in Spain we eat twelve grapes at midnight. The actual countdown is primarily followed from the clock on top of  the Correos building in Puerta del Sol square, Madrid. It is traditional to eat twelve grapes, on on each chime of the clock. This tradition has its origins in 1909, when grape growers in Alicante thought of it as a way to cut down on the large production surplus they had had that year. Nowadays the tradition is followed by almost every Spaniard, and the twelve grapes have become synonimous with the New Year. After the clock has finished striking twelve, people greet each other and toast with sparkling wine (such as champagane or cider).

26th December: Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day. No, it has nothing to do with the sport of fighting with the fists. This is the reason for the name:

A box, usually of earthenware, in which contributions of money were collected at Christmas, by apprentices, etc.; the box being broken when full, and the contents shared.

So, the name Boxing Day derives from the tradition of giving seasonal gifts, on the day after Christmas, to less wealthy people and social inferiors, which was later extended to various workpeople such as labourers and servants.

Music: Christmas Lights, by Coldplay

"Christmas Lights" is a song by British alternative rock band Coldplay released on Wednesday December 1, 2010, at 8PM GMT as a digital download. Described by the band as "a mid-tempo number" that is in the key of G major. The cover art is by Yu Matsuoka Pol.

Christmas' Eve Dinner

In Britain, turkey is the traditional dish for Christmas' Eve dinner. Enjoy it!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational purposes only.

7 O´Clock News / Silent Night

Recorded on August 22nd, 1966, "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" is the twelfth and final track on "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme", a 1966 album by Simon and Garfunkel. The track consists of an overdubbing of two contrasting recordings: a simple arrangement of the Christmas carol "Silent Night", and a simulated "7 O'Clock News" bulletin of the actual events of 3 August 1966.

Merry Christmas!

Labor English Zone wishes you the 

Season's Greetings

At Labor English Zone we know what present we want for Christmas!

Christmas Carols & Songs

A carol is a song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas. But it is also an old round dance often accompanied by singing.  The word was probably from Old French, derived from Latin choraula, which means "choral song".

Enjoy a selection of traditional Christmas carols and songs in English. Lyrics are included, so you can learn how to sing them!

8 Facts about Spain's 'El Gordo' Lottery

The following article was published by PR Newswire on7th December 2010.

Best Students - 1st Term 2011-12

Our best students of English during the 1st Term have been:

1 ESO A - Andrea Cobo Arena (9.30)

1 ESO B - Irene Sánchez Sanz (9.77) --Best overall ESO student of English in the 1st Term!

2 ESO A - Diego Anido Pereiro (9.35)

2 ESO B - Mario Quinteiro Sotelo (8.41)

3 ESO A - Rodrigo Rodríguez González (7.80)

3 ESO B - Candela Rodríguez Bernárdez (8.57)

4 ESO A - Miguel Romero Zapatero (9.16)

4 ESO B - Jessica Davila Prado (7.61)

Very often the students who get the highest grades are not the most talented ones, but those who try harder, show a positive attitude and have a praiseworthy work ethics.

Congratulations!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Superb Job

Labor Students,

We would like to post ESO 1 unit 3 outline by ESO 1 B student, Andrea Aguado. Andrea has done it voluntarily as a preparation for her unit 3 test. We thought it was not only a brilliant idea, but a superb job, and that is why we would like to share it with you all. We would also like to suggest to you to do similar lesson outlines and summaries for your exams. If you do this we are sure your test results will improve dramatically.

Congratulations, Andrea!!

Labor English Zone 2nd Anniversary

Labor English Zone started on 6th December 2009. Since then we have published 500+ posts and have received over 17,500 visitors who have viewed more than 26,000 pages. Our busiest day was 11th May 2010, when our hits peaked at 122 visitors (we guess the following day there was a pbl deadline or some kind of exam!!).  And if you google us you will obtain 2,700,000+ results. Posted on February 27th 2010, this entry about school jokes, with over 580 visitors, has been the most popular one during first two years.

We want to thank you all for being there and for your visits. We would like to encourage you to send us comments and messages with your ideas and suggestions for new posts. We are interested in hearing what interests you.

To celebrate we are 2 years old, we publish again our first post, "The Italian Man Who Went to Malta":

6th December 2009

Let's begin with some humour. Italian and Spanish are arguably the hardest accents to get rid of. Practise pronunciation drills and try to polish your accent in case you go to Malta too!!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Half As Long

I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had time to make it shorter. 
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Labor Students,

If there is a piece of advice that we would like to give you when writing your compositions and essays  is to keep them SHORT and SIMPLE:

• Shorter is better
• Use short words: never use a long word where a short one will do.
• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
• Try to make it half as long...

And now, please watch this clip from the beautiful 1992 film 'A River Runs Through It' (from minute 5.43 to 7.16; transcription to follow). You will find the secret: HALF AS LONG.

...So it was with my formal education as well. Each weekday, while my father worked on his Sunday sermon I attended the school of the Reverend Maclean. He taught nothing but reading and writing. And being a Scot.... believed that the art of writing lay in thrift.
--Half as long.
So while my friends spent their days at Missoula Elementary I stayed home and learnt to write the American language.
--Again. Half as long.
--Good. Now throw it away.


(You can find the full transcription of this videoclip and of the complete film here)

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Television is a Drug

Television is a drug. from Beth Fulton on Vimeo.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Thanksgiving - 4th Thursday of November

Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. While it may have been religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday. It is sometimes casually referred to as Turkey Day.

In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is Columbus Day in the United States. In the United States, it falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Since being fixed at the fourth Thursday in November by law in 1941, the holiday in the United States can occur on any date from November 22 to November 28. When it falls on November 22 or 23, it is not the last Thursday, but the penultimate Thursday in November. As it is a Federal holiday, all United States government offices are closed and employees are paid for that day. It is also a holiday for the New York Stock Exchange and most other financial markets and financial services companies.

Are you Addicted to your Mobile Phone?

Clic here to enlarge image.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only

4th 2011-12 Quiz

Labor Students,

Here is the 4th quiz for this schoolyear (by the way, as of today you have not solved this one yet... There is 10 points to give away too...)

So, 10 points, as usual, to the first student to email the correct, complete answer to this question:

What is this?

WARNING: THIS QUIZ IS INTENDED FOR OUR STUDENTS, NOT FOR THEIR PARENTS

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Dolce & Gabbana: 'The One' (uncut version)

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and starring Scarlett Johansson, Dolce & Gabbana presents its latest TV commercial. Please notice her pronunciation (if you focus on the actress' mouth you will understand her more easily.)

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Saturday 12th: Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a Commonwealth holiday (observed in all Commonwealth countries except Mozambique) to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. 

Los Septiembre

Los Septiembre is an indie pop band from Vigo. 2 of its members, brothers Marcos and Albert Lois, studied at Labor over 10 years ago. Marcos plays the drums and Albert is the bassist. The singer is Pablo Álvarez, and Celso Alonso is the guitarist. Their goal is to give a 1960's style and sound to their music.

Balaídos Stadium

ESO Students,

Last November 2nd, "Estadios de Fútbol en España", a blog about football stadiums in Spain, published a report on Balaídos stadium. As it is written in English we thought you might find it interesting. We hope you  will like it and maybe you can learn some of our recent history at the same time!

Balaídos Stadium - Vigo

If you were ever searching for concrete proof of Spain's diverse cultural mix, then travel to Vigo on its north-western Atlantic seaboard. More working class than the A Coruña or Santiago de Compostela, this tough industrial city is home to Europe's largest fishing port and lies just 20 miles north of Portugal. It is also home to the country's most westerly senior team whose name reflects Galicia's ancient and beloved Celtic links. This is RC Celta Vigo territory.

Real Vigo Sporting Club + Real Fortuna FC = Real Club Celta

Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

ESO Students,

We give you again the post we published last year about Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder plot. Enjoy it:

In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.

Spaniards ignore laws on pig slaughter

The following article was published by El País in English on Sunday 27th March 2011. As St. Martin's day is drawing near we thought that it would be a good idea to bring it back.

That home-killed taste: Spaniards ignore laws on pig slaughter

Thousands of animals are butchered the traditional way despite a ban by European Union

10 facts about you

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Convocatoria de Movilidad del Alumnado Comenius 2012

El Programa Comenius tiene por objeto reforzar la dimensión europea en el campo de la educación infantil, primaria y secundaria, promoviendo la movilidad y la cooperación entre centros educativos.

La Movilidad de alumnado Comenius es una iniciativa europea para permitir que el alumnado de educación secundaria pueda estudiar durante un período de entre 3 y 10 meses en un centro educativo de otro país europeo, viviendo con una familia. 

Sus objetivos son:

3rd 2011-12 Quiz: Strong Mind

Labor Students,

Here is the 3rd quiz for this schoolyear (by the way, as of today you have not solved the previous one yet...) This one is open to all ESO students at Labor.

So, 10 points, as usual, to the first student to email the correct answer to us: Your task is to transcribe the text in the image below correctly (spelling, punctuation, etc.). Easy, isn't it?

Good Luck!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Coldplay: Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

It is a long time since our last musical post, so we thought Coldplay's concert in Madrid last week deserved a celebration. It is really hard to set one song apart from the rest in their album Mylo Xyloto, but we think that Every Teardrop is a Waterfall is special, not only because of its melody, but specially because of its lyrics and spectacular videoclip. Pure Coldplay at their best... or is Paradise even better... what do you think. Leave your comments and let us know!


Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall was released on 3 June 2011, as a digital download except in the United Kingdom where it was released on 5 June 2011. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto. The song contains elements of the 1976 song "I Go to Rio" written by Peter Allen and Adrienne Anderson.

Halloween 2011

Labor School Students,

Halloween is approaching and to celebrate it at LaborEnglishZone we give you again a very interesting post on the origins of this holiday.

Have a nice Halloween and enjoy the post!

Photo by our Primary Physical Education teacher César Redondo

ESO 1 - 1st Term PBL

ESO 1 Students,

This is your 1st term PBL assignment. You have to write a letter to an imaginary penfriend. Include information about you, your family and free time. Your letter must be at least 100 words long.

Excessive Texting: Top 10 Dangers

Labor ESO Students, 

We give you now the post published today, Thursday 27th October, on High School, the educational supplement at the Huffington Post about the dangers of excessive texting for teenagers' health.

About 75 percent of 12-17 year-olds in America own a cell phone. Half of them send 50 or more text messages a day, and one-third send more than 100 text messages daily. Texting's popular -- but you knew that, of course.

What you might not know are the potential dangers associated with being glued to your phone 24/7 (and we're not just talking accidentally sending "I'm busty" instead of "I'm busy" to your crush... though that counts, too).

Below are the top 10 biggest texting dangers you should be aware of before entering into your next 24-hour texting spree. Or you can click here to watch the slideshare

2nd 2011-12 Quiz

ESO 3 & ESO 4 Students,

10 points up for grabs valid for the 1st term to the first student to e-mail us the correct answer to this quiz:

What is the meaning of 'Mylo Xyloto', the title of Coldplay's latest album?

ESO English Syllabus 2011-12

ESO Students,

If you click on the following links you can download your English syllabus, terms and conditions for 2011-12:

• ESO 1 Syllabus
• ESO 2 Syllabus
• ESO 3 Syllabus
• ESO 4 Syllabus

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non commercial purposes only.

ESO 2 1st Term PBL - Stop Bullying!

ESO 2 Students,

This is your 1st term PBL assignment. You have to translate this mind map into Spanish: 

(From www.michellenhenry.com)

1st 2011-12 Quiz

ESO 1 & ESO 2 students,

10 points up for grabs valid for the 1st term to the first student to e-mail us the correct answer to this quiz:

Good luck!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Programa de Becas High School para estudiantes de 4º de la ESO

PROGRAMA DE BECAS HIGH SCHOOL para estudiantes de 4º de la ESO
Fundación Barrié y Fundación Amancio Ortega

La Fundación Barrié y la Fundación Amancio Ortega convocan la tercera edición del programa de Becas High School. Un año académico en Estados Unidos, dirigido a estudiantes de 4º de ESO en un centro académico de Galicia en el momento de la solicitud. Los estudiantes seleccionados tendrán la oportunidad de cursar en EEUU estudios equivalentes a 1º de bachillerato ('Grade 11' en el sistema de Estados Unidos).

Becas High School from Faortega & Fbarrie on Vimeo.

ESO 3 & ESO 4 1st Term PBL 2011-12

ESO 3 & ESO 4 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for the 1st term:

Blogs & Sites at Labor School

ESO Students,

As of today, your teachers at Labor School offer you up to 17 blogs and sites, 10 of them targeting ESO contents. 1 more blog (French Language) is soon to be published. Please visit them regularly and take advantage of all the hard, good work your teachers are carrying out for your benefit.

33 Ways to Stay Creative

Javier Silveira, a former Labor School student, and presently a web and graphic designer living in Milan, Italy, has shared with us on one of our social networks the following 33 ways to stay creative:

1 - Make lists
2 - Carry a notebook everywhere

Google Effect: Google and your Memory

Sometimes remembering is not just everything. More important than that is knowing where to find the information, telling the difference between what is important and what is not, having the skills to understand and analyse it, establishing links and relationships between data... and then keeping in mind where it is stored so that we can use it time and again.

Calendar of English Tests, Exams & Deadlines

ESO Students,

Please remember that you can find this calendar of English tests, exams, tasks and deadlines at the bottom of this blog at any time of the schoolyear.

ESO 1 2011-12 Exam Schedule

ESO 1 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2011-12 schoolyear  (you can also find a calendar of exams, deadlines and other events at the bottom of this blog):

ESO 2 2011-12 Exam Schedule

ESO 2 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2011-12 schoolyear (you can also find a calendar of exams, deadlines and other events at the bottom of this blog):

ESO 3 2011-12 Exam Schedule

ESO 3 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2011-12 schoolyear  (you can also find a calendar of exams, deadlines and other events at the bottom of this blog):

ESO 4 2011-12 Exam Schedule

ESO 4 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2011-12 schoolyear  (you can also find a calendar of exams, deadlines and other events at the bottom of this blog):

Please note that all exams and dates are subject to change

An All Black in Galicia

Yesterday, Thursday 22nd September, C+ broadcast an excellent documentary ('Informe Robinson') on Vigo Rugby Club and Norm Maxwell. Maxwell, who played for the New Zealand national rugby team (the 'All Blacks') 36 times, left it all behind in his country to come to Vigo as joint manager of our university's rugby team.

ESO Classroom Rules

1.Equipment.

You must bring your Textbook, Grammar Reference, Workbook, an A-4 sized notebook, a blue ball-pen, a pencil, a rubber, and a classroom diary everyday.

You cannot use books from older students. Students taking a grade for the second time must have a new Workbook or photocopies. You cannot write on your textbooks. You must only use a pencil to write in your workbooks.

Welcome Back!

Today, Friday 16th, ESO students have had their 1st 2011-12 schoolday. But serious work starts on Monday... or not quite, as at Labor School ESO 4 students will receive their friends from our partner schools in Poland and Estonia.

And the news at ESO is not over yet: we have a new Physical Education teacher, José Ramón Muñoz Rodríguez, but you can call him "Jota".

Welcome everybody back to school! We wish you a very happy, successful 2011-2012 schoolyear!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

ESO English Textbooks for 2011-12

ESO Students,

These are your textbooks for 2011-12. No changes in ESO 2 and ESO 4 books: Pearson Longman 'What's Up? 2' (green book) and 'What's Up? 4' (blue book). Labor School will provide you with student's books for free, but you must purchase your workbooks.

September 2011 Examination Schedule

ESO Students,

This is your September Examination schedule:

		ESO 1	ESO 2	ESO 3	ESO 4
Thursday 1st	09.00	ART	GEOGRAPHY	PHYSICS CHEMISTRY	ENGLISH
	10.15	SPANISH	FRENCH	ART	HISTORY
	11.30	SCIENCE	MATHS	GEOGRAPHY	PHYSICS CHEMISTRY ICT
	12.45	PHYSICAL EDUCATION	PHYSICAL EDUCATION	GALICIAN	PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Friday 2nd	09.00	GALICIAN	SCIENCE	SPANISH	BIOLOGY
	10.15	ENGLISH	TECHNOLOGY	MATHS	FRENCH
	11.30	GEOGRAPHY	ENGLISH	TECHNOLOGY	C. CULTURE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
	12.45	REL/ALT	REL/ALT	MUSIC	ETHICS
Monday  5th	09.00	MATHS	SPANISH	BIOLOGY	MATEMÁTICAS (Javi)
	10.15	FRENCH	MUSIC	ENGLISH	GALEGO (Pablo)
	11.30		GALICIAN	FRENCH	ESPAÑOL (Pablo)
	12.45		CITIZENSHIP	PHYSICAL EDUCATION REL/ALT	REL/ALT

And this is the schedule if you are taking any resit exams on pending coursework from PREVIOUS SCHOOLYEARS:

Thursday 1st September, 16.00 —      Spanish 1-2-3. —      English 1-2-3. Thursday 1st September, 16.00 —      French 1-2-3. —      Maths 1-2-3. Friday 2nd September, 16.00 —      Geography 1-2. —      Geography 3. Friday 2nd September, 17.00 —      Galician 1-2-3. —      Art 1-3. —      Music 2-3.

Monday 5th September, 16.00 —     Science 1-2. —      Tecnoloxía 1-2-3. Monday 5th September, 16.00 —      Physics - Chemistry 3. —      Biology 3.

And remember you can also check our calendar:

Good luck!

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.

Summer 2011 ESO Remedial Task

ESO Students,

Here is your 2011 summer remedial assignment. You should copy the activities of the 9 'Test' sections that you will find on the last page of every unit:

Use an A-4 sized notebook to copy the formulation or wording of every activity and underline their key words. Then, translate that wording into Galician/Spanish and solve the activities.

This assignment is NOT COMPULSORY. You do not need to hand in your homework as it will NOT add any points at all to your September mark. However, we would like to advise you to prepare these activities if you want to be successful in your September remedial exams.

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non-commercial purposes only.