Make "Misteaks"

British English vs American English

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

British Isles

ESO Students,

We are sure that all you have some time or another wondered what the difference between England, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain Islands and British Isles is... This mind map will certainly help you understand it once and for all!

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

School Answering Machine

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

Invictus, by William Ernest Henley

"Invictus" is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903). At the age of 13, Henley contracted tuberculosis of the bone. A few years later, the disease progressed to his foot, and physicians announced that the only way to save his life was to amputate directly below the knee. It was amputated when he was 17. Stoicism inspired him to write this poem. Despite his disability, he survived with one foot intact and led an active life until his death at the age of 53.

This poem has been an inspiration for many modern films and songs, but you may have heard of it thanks to the film Invictus that you have been watching in Physical Education lessons: While incarcerated on Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela recited the poem to other prisoners and was empowered by its message of self-mastery. In the film, Mandela gives the captain of the national South African rugby team the poem to inspire him to lead his team to a Rugby World Cup win, telling him how it inspired him in prison. In reality, as opposed to the movie, Mandela actually gave the captain, Francois Pineaar, a copy of The Man in the Arena passage from President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt's speech Citizenship in a Republic instead.

Superwoman

[Info. retrieved at http://www.internationalwomensday.com]

International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.

ESO 2 2nd Term PBL

2nd Term joint PBL (Art + English) deadline is approaching and here's the one sent by Andrea Aguado, Irene de Sas, Pedro Gainzaráin and Nerea Guedella. Enjoy it!

Para ti, Shakira from AILMI on Vimeo.

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

Emotions - Feelings Word Vocabulary

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

Amazing Act of Sportsmanship

(Reblogged from Topical Teaching)

A special needs student from a Texas high school scored a basket in the final game of the season after a player from the opposing team gave up the ball.

Mitchell Marcus, a teenage student at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas, is the team manager for the Coronado Thunderbirds and an avid basketball fan. During the last game of the season on Feb. 12, Marcus, who has a “developmental disability,” was given the chance to play, according to Fox local affiliate KFOX 14 in El Paso. With 90 seconds left, Coach Peter Morales put Marcus into the game.

TED

Perhaps you were thinking of the American comedy film about an annoying and rude teddy bear while reading the title of this post...

2nd Term ESO 3 PBL Task

ESO 3 Students,

This is your 2nd Term PBL task. You have to translate this comic strip by artist Gavin Aung Than into the language of your choice: Galician or Spanish.

You should translate every word you see (except, of course, the names of the newspapers depicted in the comic) and create a new jpg of png file and send it to our mail. Keep the comic as it is: don't change the images. Just substitute the English words with the Spanish version. The deadline is Friday 8th March at precisely 23.59.59. No files will be admitted after the deadline finishes.

The fonts you must use are Creative Block and Red State Blue State.

Your file identification must be as follows: GROUP_NUMBER_CLASS.JPG or GROUP_NUMBER_CLASS.PNG. Example: GROUP_1_3A.PNG.

You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word "PBL".

Click here to download the comic image WITHOUT THE WORDS (blank, empty speech bubbles).

And these are the groups:

Dzień dobry, Koszalin

Ten ESO 3 and ESO 4 students were lucky enough to spend one week in Koszalin, Poland, from 9^th to 16^th February, in the context of the Comenius Project that CPR Labor has been running for ten years now.

Let’s have a brief look at what Alejandro, Alicia, Diego, Iago, Iria, Jennifer, Meres, Pedro, Rubén and Santiago were up to with teachers Manuel and Raquel:

To Me, You Are Perfect

Saint Valentine's Day is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them.

UK vs US Spelling

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

2013 Carnival, Lent, Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)

Carnival

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, masque and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.

You Are Not Alone

Dear students,

We spend a long time of our life in High School, and this is a hard period. However, that problem you have, that difficult stage you are going through, the pain you are struggling with… there was a time teachers also had to deal with that. Teachers are much more that walking books, they are human beings who have spent their time studying so they can now spend their time with you. Talk to your teachers. Don’t feel embarrassed or afraid. They will stop what they’re doing to listen to you and help you. Because you are our reason to be; here, now and always.

Remember: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. 

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

10 Ways Translation Shapes Your Life, by Nataly Kelly

(Reblogged from The Huffington Post)

Each year on Sept. 30, a holiday is observed by people all around the world that has been celebrated since 1953. It's a feast day that was originally designated for a patron saint (Saint Jerome), but it has grown to transcend all barriers of religion or geography. This year, I am personally sending out greetings to thousands of people in 70 different countries in observance of this important day -- that's far more than I send out for any other holiday.

Yet, if you're like the majority of people, you've probably never heard of this cause for global celebration until now. It's International Translation Day. You might not think about how translation affects your everyday life, but in reality, there is hardly anything in your life that isn't touched in some way by translation. As I explain in my new book, Found in Translation (co-authored with Jost Zetzsche), here are 10 reasons why translation is so significant:

Groundhog Day 2013

Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 2nd in the United States and Canada. A groundhog (Marmota monax) is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels.

According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. 

The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather folklore, wherein a badger or sacred bearis the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog.

Speak Spanish Britishly

Retrieved at: https://www.facebook.com/speakspanishbritishly

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

Don't You Worry Child, by Swedish House Mafia

ESO 2 Students,

Your Music teacher, MJ Barbosa, is aware that you are practising the past simple and past continuous tenses and the forms there was and there were, and that is why she has suggested that we post this song by the Swedish electronic dance music trio Swedish House Mafia.

First we'll offer you the official live video-clip and after the lyrics section you can enjoy a nice accoustic cover by Madilyn Bailey

Thanks a lot, María, for this helpful tip!

Said is Dead

ESO 4 Students,

Later this year you will be learning about the Reported Speech. The most common verb speakers use is Say (usually in its past form, Said), but if you wish to go further and improve your skills in English you should try and use a wide variety of the so-called language verbs. We are sure this chart will be most useful (reblogged from Life of a Newspaper Editor)... and remember Said is Dead!!:

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

10 Tips to Improve your Grammar

Reblogged from Grammar.net

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

The Benefits of Learning Languages

Reblogged from La luna de Babel

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

Go Beyond the Cover

“Don't judge a book by its cover”, a metaphorical phrase meaning that when you have only seen the surface of something, you cannot know what is on the inside...

Alan Watts: What if Money Was No Object?, by Gavin Aung Than

(Reblogged from Zen Pencils)

Labor Students,

Last 8th Nov 2012, we published a post about an amazing lecture by the late professor Alan Watts:

What if money was no object?

What do I desire? Be the change that you would like to see in this world.

And last Tuesday 8th January, Gavin Aung Than illustrated that same lecture on his website Zen Pencils

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was an English philosopher and writer who played a large part in popularising Zen Buddhism in the west. He gained a wide following after moving to the United States where he published numerous books on Zen and Eastern philosophy. During the 1960s and 70s he toured extensively on the college lecture circuit and became a celebrity among the growing youth movement. Watts had over 25 books published and recorded over 400 lectures, many of which have found a new audience on YouTube.

We hope you like this cartoon as much as we do!

Simon's Cat

For those of you who like cats and especially for those who have this kind of pet, we’d like to introduce you to “Simon’s Cat”, a series of sketches with which you’ll certainly feel identified…

Info retrieved at: http://www.simonscat.com/About/

What is Simon's Cat? Simon’s Cat is a charming, yet mischievous cat that lives with Simon. He made his first appearance online, in a film called 'Cat Man Do'.  Since then he has also appeared in his own books, game and comic strip. Who is Simon Tofield? Simon is an English animator who has a great interest in British wildlife, painting, the great outdoors and of course cats. Simon started animating at a very young age. Inspired by cartoons on TV, he used to create basic flip-books in an attempt to emulate the techniques he saw being used on screen.

First 2013 Quiz - Guess the City

ESO Students,

10 points will be awarded to the student who sends us the FIRST email including:

1. The names of the different cities in English
2. One famous monument of each city which is also represented in the drawings below.

(Click on the image to enlarge)

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

My Grandpa is Chicer than Yours

Spotted: designer Lu Ting with 72 year old Chinese grandfather Liu Xianping. This photograph could be one of the many pictures taken everyday in the bosom of any family, however, Lu’s grandfather has something special which has made him quite popular…

Ira Glass: Advice for Beginners, by Gavin Aung Than

(Reblogged from Zen Pencils)

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Ira Glass (1959-) is a radio broadcaster and host of the award-winning program and podcast This American Life. This quote came from an interview Glass did about the storytelling process. And in this video-clip you can enjoy a cool moving typography version:

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Man in the Arena, by Gavin Aung Than

(Reblogged from Zen Pencils)

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) Roosevelt was a naturalist, ornithologist, cowboy, conservationist, ranchman, war hero, writer, hunter and politician. Growing up, Teddy Roosevelt was severely asthmatic, too scared to play outside and would instead spend all his time reading. Finally, his father told him to ‘man-up’ and overcome his physical frailty through will power and mental toughness. Theodore not only overcame his asthma, he went on to embrace what he called ‘the strenuous life’ – a life filled with physical activity, adventure and action. He had a fierce intellect as well, writing several books, mediating wars, winning political duels and oh yeah … he was President for 8 years too. Teddy has probably led the fullest and most action-packed life of anyone I’ve ever read about.

Edgar Mitchell: A global consciousness, by Gavin Aung Than

(Reblogged from Zen Pencils)

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Edgar Mitchell (1930-) was the pilot of Apollo 14 and the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971. On his journey back into Earth orbit, Mitchell had a profound outer-body experience where he says he became aware of a universal consciousness. Since then he has immersed himself in the study of noetic science and channeling the power of the mind. He also has controversial views on UFOs, claiming that aliens have visited Earth and there has been a massive government cover-up to deny their existence.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: The Most Astounding Fact, by Gavin Aung Than

(Reblogged from Zen Pencils)

Zen Pencils is a website launched in February 2012 by Gavin Aung Than, a freelance illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia. On Zen pencils you will find inspirational quotes from famous people adapted into cartoons. The site is updated once a week, every Tuesday (Australian Eastern Standard time). What type of quotes does Gavin adapt? Anything and everything. Poets to Presidents, comedians to colonels – anyone who inspires him, challenges his way of thinking, wakes him up or just makes him laugh.

Neil deGrasse Tyson (1958-) is an astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, TV host and one of the current rockstars of the science world. He’s gained mainstream and pop-culture fame thanks to his books, TV show and frequent appearances on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Like the late Carl Sagan, Tyson has the ability to communicate the wonders of science to a mainstream audience with charisma and a sense of humour. It’s fitting then that Tyson will be hosting the upcoming sequel to Sagan’s iconic series Cosmos. Tyson also has a great podcast, StarTalk Radio.

Play Station

TBWA Advertising Agency along with Play Station have launched a new campaign to raise public awareness. In this occasion, parents are encouraged to spend more time playing with their kids through the TV spot and the campaign behind it.

The TV commercial includes a catchy song with the aim of keeping children away from the couch for them to enjoy playing in various places: “in the kitchen, on the floor, on the table, at the door...” Lyrics are good to revise basic grammar aspects such as prepositions... ;)

The 3 Wise Men Didn't Have a GPS...

There is no historical evidence, but we can be quite sure that the 3 Magi did not use a GPS to find the stable in Bethlehem...

Life of Brian

Scene 2: Three Wise Men with Bad Senses of Direction

The sketch:

holy music

BABY BRIAN COHEN: crying
WISE MAN #1: Ahem.
MANDY COHEN: Ohhh!
whump
Who are you?
WISE MAN #1: We are three wise men.

Three Wise Men

In Christian tradition the Magi (pronounced /ˈmeɪdʒaɪ/; from the Greek: μάγοι, magoi, usually translated as "wise men", although it probably meant "astronomer" or "astrologer"... that is why they were following a star), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts.Traditions identify a variety of different names for the Magi. In the Western Christian church they have been commonly known since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. In the Gospel of Matthew, the only one to describe the visit of the Magi, it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Although Matthew does not mention their number, because three gifts are recorded as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi. The Magi, as the "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of Christmas.

New Year's Day 2013

"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing. It was the band's first UK hit single, peaking at #10 on the singles chart, #11 on the Dutch Top 40 and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in their career. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at #427 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

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).

New Year's Resolutions 2013

A New Year's resolution is a commitment an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned.

Labor students: Are you making any New Year's Resolutions for 2013? Maybe working harder at school? Spending less time on Tuenti? Leave your comments and tell everybody what your resolutions for the New Year are!

Boxing Day Classic

D. Garrido, Á. de Prado, J. Saborido, A. Blanco, P. Castelo, F. López, F. López Sr., M.  Rguez Terés, J. Silveira;
Julio, J. Pérez, C. Montaño, A. Alonso, J. López, S. Fdez, R. Rguez.

Following the tradition of British football, ESO 4 students and teachers clashed on the astroturf pitch on the UVigo campus in a thrilling Boxing Day Classic Match that will go down into history books and football records as The Battle of Lagoas-Marcosende.

If in the year of our Lord 1314 patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn, Labor teachers, overweight and breathless, played like warrior poets and outclassed their spirited young pupils before a passionate attendance of just 5 people (4 sons and a wife, actually). 

The youngsters' pace and energy was masterfully dodged by yet another unrivalled, magnificent, world-class display of tic-tac football. As a result of the prowess, skills and talent shown by the teachers team, the students were comprehensively trashed by many goals to few.

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.

What if Virgin Mary had Whatsapp?

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY

How would the birth of Jesus be experienced through digital media such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon...? Have a look at the video below:

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

Christmas' Eve Dinner 2012

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

No copyright infringement intended. For educational purposes only.

Merry Christmas 2012!

Labor English Zone wishes you the 

Season's Greetings

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

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.

Christmas Carols & Songs 2012

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.

Labor Walk of Fame 1.0

The first term of this school year 2012/2013 has come to an end. As usually, we would like to give recognition to those students who did better in the subject of English in each group of ESO.

For this occasion, we’ve created our “Labor Walk of Fame”, whose stars (best students of English for this 1^st term) are…

                                                     

       

 

 

And overall, the Oscar for best student in this 1st term goes to Álvaro de Prado Saborido, from ESO 1A, with an average score of 9.6. Congratulations!

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

Music for the Eyes

Recently, as a counter-attack against Karl Lagerfeld’s opinions about her being in need of weight loss, singer Adele made the following statement famous: “I make music for the ears, not for the eyes”. Leaving aside her fabulous reply, can we really say that music is exclusive for those able to hear or may a visual component be determinant in some cases?