Points of View

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

20 Ways to Improve your English

1. Download and listen to English podcasts or to radio programmes in English (BBC, ITN, etc.)
2. Listen to English music.
3. Read the lyrics to a song with a dictionary.

ESO 1 First term English exams schedule

This is a reminder for all ESO 1 students. As we have discussed in class, the schedule for your English exams during this first term is as follows:

UNIT 1 - Thursday 11th October

UNIT 2 - Friday 9th November

UNIT 3 - Wednesday 5th December

Note that dates are guiding and subject to change in case it is considered appropriate by the teacher!

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

Calvin and Hobbes

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

2012-13 Exam Schedule for ESO 2, 3 & 4

ESO 2, 3 & 4 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2012-13 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. PBL's and Irregular verbs tests dates to be confirmed.

English and Galician teacher

Hi there!

This is Raquel Lorenzo. She will be your new English and Galician teacher for those of you who start ESO 1. You will meet her tomorrow in your Galician lessons. Have a pleasant beginning of this school year!

On Happiness

Henry David Thoreau "On Happiness". Artwork by Gavin Aung Than

(Post taken from Zen Pencils)

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, poet, philosopher and one of the leading figures of the transcendentalism movement. Besides writing Civil Disobedience, which inspired such revolutionaries as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jnr, Thoreau is most well-known for his book Walden, in which he recounts the two years he lived in a small cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau used the time to immerse himself in his writing and to live a more simple and self-sufficient life. As he put it:

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

Ham Geography

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

2012-13 English Class Materials

ESO Students,

These are the materials you will need for this schoolyear:

COMPULSORY

• Student's Book and Workbook (NB: EDITIONS IN SPANISH WILL NOT BE VALID).
• DIN-A4 sized notebook
• Blue ballpoint pen
• Pencil
• Rubber

ENGLISH IN MOTION 1 ESO Student's Book
by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert
Richmond Publishing (Santillana)
2009 1 ed.
ISBN: 978-84-668-0934-4
(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1140-8)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 2 ESO Student's Book

by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert

Richmond Publishing (Santillana)

2009 1 ed.

ISBN: 978-84-668-0935-1

(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1141-5)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 3 ESO Student's Book
by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert
Richmond Publishing (Santillana)
2009 1 ed.
ISBN: 978-84-668-0936-8
(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1146-0)

ENGLISH IN MOTION 4 ESO Student's Book

by Campbell, Robert; Holley, Gill; and Metcalf, Robert

Richmond Publishing (Santillana)

2009 1 ed.

ISBN: 978-84-668-0931-3 

(Workbook ISBN: 978-84-668-1149-1)

SUGGESTED

• Bilingual ENG-SPA dictionary
• USB memory stick
• PC, mobile phone or tablet (to use at home and visit www.laborenglishzone.blogspot.com.es ... of course)

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

September 2012 English Exams Schedule

ESO Students,

This is your September English exams schedule: 

Monday 3rd September, 09.00: ESO 4

Tuesday 4th September, 10.15: ESO 1

Tuesday 4th September, 11.30: ESO 2

Wednesday 5th September, 10.15: ESO 3

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

Monday 3rd September, 16.00: ESO 1, 2 & 3

Good luck!

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

Day 7 - MUJA... & Back Home

All's well that ends well... We' ve had 6 wonderful days of fun, sport and adventure.

We must say that our students' behaviour and attitude have been remarkable: We have been congratulated not only by the campsite manager and staff but also by every single guide, instructor or member of the organizations we have been with.

Breakfast is scheduled for 9 am as usual, and then, on our way back home, we are to stop at MUJA (Museum of the Jurassic), Colunga, around 10.30 am, where we'll learn some natural history and geology.

We'll stop at Mondoñedo for lunch, between 2.30 & 3.30 pm, so we estimate we won't arrive at Labor school (Camelias entrance) before 6.30 pm.

Have a wonderful summer!

Day 6 - Canyon Hiking + Llanes

Rain, rain & more rain. Not that it will bother us much today though, as we are to leave our campsite at 9.15 to go canyon hiking down the Trescares river all morning and early afternoon.

We'll return to Palacio de Garaña for lunch, where we'll also take some rest and pack our suitcases for tomorrow.

At 6.30 pm we'll go to Llanes (where we'll eat dinner), so that our students can know the town, do some shopping and enjoy the local late evening atmosphere.

We'll keep you posted.

Day 5 - Canoeing + Tito Bustillo Cave + Speleology

It's raining again, but what might at first sound like bad news it's not that bad after all. Actually, it's not rain, but this heavy, thick mist that looks like drizzle.

Anyway, this weather could be our greatest ally today, as we expect to spend 3 or 4 hours rowing down the Sella river. We've been told that down, deep in the valley sunny, hot conditions are more a problem than an advantage.

Breakfast is scheduled for 09.00, as usual. At 11.00 our coach is to drive us to Arriondas, about 30 mins from Palacio de Garaña campsite, where we are going to start paddling down the river for a stretch of some 5 miles on 2-seater canoes. We will take a packed lunch to enjoy on the river banks approximately halfway down the river.
In the afternoon we're going to vusit the impressive Tito Bustillo cave, Ribadesella.
At this time we're afraid we cannot guarantee any photographs due to the nature of the activities of the day. Late in the evening we'll try to supply you with the news of this 5th day of our trip.
All the best!

Day 4 - Multiadventure + Pría Blowholes

After yesterday's terrific trek today we deserve some rest... Or not so!

We are to stay put at our campsite all day: in the morning we are going to enjoy a multiadventure park and try segways and balanzbikes, among many other sport and adventure activities.

After lunch, some rest lazying by the pool and in the early evening we are going to see (and hopefully hear) the blowholes known as "Bufones de Pría" at the nearby cliffs (just 1 km from our campsite, so no need to use our coach today).

The weather at Palacio de Garaña seems to be better today than yesterday -- mists and fogs blotted the sun out all day long on the coast, pushed inland by the sea winds but blocked by the first steep barriers of the Picos de Europa. Hopefully we will be able to sunbathe and swim later on.

We'll be posting pics + news as it happens. Have a nice day!

Day 3 - Trekking on Covadonga

Although the trekking was scheduled for next Thursday, our mountain guides have decided we'd rather try it today as the weather forecast was just fine.

Right now the campsite lies beneath the morning mists (actually, there's a very soft drizzle moistening everything), but sunshine and warmer temperatures are expected for later on.

The coach is to take us to Enol and Ercina lakes, where we are going to trek for about 4 hours. We are taking a packed lunch to enjoy up there, among the awesome peaks of Picos de Europa.

Then we are going to drive down to Cangas de Onís for some sightseeing and maybe a little bit of souvenir shopping.

As usual, stay tuned on Labor English Zone. We'll try to update our news as it happens, but today we cannot guarantee it due to poor 3g coverage on the mountains.

TERRIFIC TREK!!! AWESOME!!!
Nacho, our guide from Nakel Sport, had our coach stop halfway up the 11 km road linking Covadonga and the Enol & Ercina lakes, right after the world-famous cycling challenge known as "La Huesera". We then had to cover the second half of the mountain: a tough, steep trek under extremely hot conditions, only occassionaly relieved by very gentle gusts of breeze. Our lads behaved bravely to overcome this difficult challenge. As Antía Suárez remarked in her graduation speech, fellowship and friendship were present all day long as everbody supported and helped everybody else, voluntereed to carry bachpacks and rucksacks when a friend seemed to be going thtough a difficult time, shared their water and lunch... Not only these ESO 4 kids are remarkable students, but at Labor we are proud to boast they are truly kindhearted, positive and supportive... There is another secondary school staying right now at this campsite and their teachers simply can't believe our students' good manners and gentle, excellent behaviour.

Day 2 - Palacio de Garaña, Ribadesella

We have arrived at Palacio de Garaña campsite, just halfway between Ribadesella and Llanes, and on the edge of the magnificent Picos de Europa mountain range, where we will be staying at nice bungalows during the rest of our trip.

It' relax time now, as we have to gather momentum for the busy days ahead

Day 2 - Gijón

Day 2 - Oviedo

Before going to Gijón, we have strolled around the old city of Oviedo and then we have stopped for a while at San Miguel de Lillo and Sta. María del Naranco, 9th Century Pre-Romanesque churches.

Sta. María del Naranco is a familiar image for evrybody as it has become a long-standing logo of the Asturias tourist board.

Day 1 -Cudillero

2nd stop, Cudillero. After having lunch and a little bit of sunbathing at Praia das Catedrais, we are now getting to know this typical, tiny fishermen town.