Spring

Click here to enlarge image

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

St Valentine's Day 2015

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

Friday I'm in Love

Let's celebrate it's Friday (and holidays too!!) listening to this song by The Cure. Look at the picture above, watch the video at the end of this post and try and fill in the blanks in the lyrics below.

I don't care if Monday's __________

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday, Wednesday break my __________

Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait

And Sunday always comes too __________

But Friday never hesitate...

I don't care if Monday's __________

Tuesday, Wednesday heart attack

Thursday never looking __________

It's Friday I'm in love

Monday you can hold your __________

Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed

Or Thursday watch the walls __________

It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait

And sunday always comes too late

But Friday never hesitate...

Dressed up to the eyes

It's a wonderful __________

To see your shoes and your spirits rise

Throwing out your frown

And just smiling at the __________

And as sleek as a shriek

Spinning round and round

Always take a big bite

It's such a gorgeous sight

To see you in the middle of the __________

You can never get enough

Enough of this stuff

It's Friday

I'm in love

I don't care if Monday's __________

Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart

Tuesday, Wednesday break my __________

Thursday doesn't even start

It's Friday I'm in love

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

2015 Carnival, Lent, Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) & Ash Wednesday

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.

What Are the Chances?

A BBC reporter unwittingly asked a former Liverpool goalkeeper for his memories from the derby game with Everton.

Stuart Flinders was asking people on the street in Liverpool if they remembered the 1967 match at Goodison Park. He was actually talking to Tommy Lawrence, who played in goal for Liverpool for over a decade, and appeared in that very game.

Please notice the sheer delight and pride on Mr Lawrence's face!

TRANSCRIPTION:

Now, what are the chances... of this?

Reporter — I just wondered whether you remembered the derby match in 1967 at Goodison, FA Cup 5th round, that was shown on a big screen at Anfield that same day.

Tommy Lawrence — That's right.

R — Remember it?

TL — I do. I played in it!

R —Did you?

TL — I was goalkeeper for Liverpool.

R — Really.

TL — Yeah!

R — Well, that's extraordinary, lovely meeting you!

TL — Yeah.

R — Sorry, can you remind me of your name?

TL — Tommy Lawrence.

R — Tommy, nice to meet you. What do you remember about it?

TL — A great game, yeah. Alan Ball scored the winner.

R — Good, indeed!

TL — Yeah, indeed, yeah!

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

Names

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

Groundhog Day 2015

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.

Why Are Bad Words Bad?

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

ESO 4 2nd Term 2014-15 PBL Assignment

ESO 4 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for this 2014-15 second term. Your task is to download the image at the end of this post  by the brilliant artist Gavin Aung Than and translate its text into the language of your choice, Spanish or Galician, using the same font as in the original picture (or one as similar as possible) by means of some photo editing software (such as Paint, Gimp, Photoshop, etc.).

You must create a .jpg, .gif or .png file, identify it with your group name (for instance, BLUE_4A.jpg) and send it to our email. You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word "PBL". You must also include the names of each and every group member and the percentage of work that every member has carried out (your marks will be in direct mathematical relation to that percentage). Your group identification must be as follows: GROUPCOLOUR_CLASS. Example: BLUE_4A.

Points will be deducted for every instruction you do not follow and each group will be deducted 1 point from their mark for every student who does not bring their copy (in English!!) of this document to class next Friday 6th February.

Every group must email their answers BEFORE Sunday 1st March at precisely 23:59:59. No mails will be admitted after the deadline, so please do not wait until the very last minute and get down to work as soon as possible.

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

Click below to see the full size image

ESO 3 2014-15 2nd Term PBL Assignment

ESO 3 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for this 2014-15 second term. Your task is to download this image above and translate its text into the language of your choice, Spanish or Galician, using the same font as in the original picture (or one as similar as possible, in order to fit it into the speech bubble) by means of some photo editing software (such as Paint, Gimp, Photoshop, etc.).

You must create a .jpg, .gif or .png file, identify it with your group name (for instance, BLUE_4A.jpg) and send it to our email. You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word "PBL". You must also include the names of each and every group member and the percentage of work that every member has carried out (your marks will be in direct mathematical relation to that percentage). Your group identification must be as follows: GROUPCOLOUR_CLASS. Example: BLUE_4A.

Points will be deducted for every instruction you do not follow and each group will be deducted 1 point from their mark for every student who does not bring their copy (in English!!) of this document to class next Wednesday 11th February.

Every group must email their answers BEFORE Sunday 1st March at precisely 23:59:59. No mails will be admitted after the deadline, so please do not wait until the very last minute and get down to work as soon as possible.

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

ESO 2 2nd Term 2014-15 PBL Assignment

ESO 2 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for this 2014-15 second term. Your task is to download this image of a mind-map giving you some interesting advice on how to get ready for exams, and translate its texts into Spanish or Galician using the same font as in the original picture (or one as similar as possible) by means of some photo editing software (such as Paint, Gimp, Photoshop, etc.).

You must create a .jpg, .gif or .png file, identify it with your group name (for instance, BLUE_4A.jpg) and send it to our email. You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word "PBL". You must also include the names of each and every group member and the percentage of work that every member has carried out (your marks will be in direct mathematical relation to that percentage). Your group identification must be as follows: GROUPCOLOUR_CLASS. Example: BLUE_4A.

Points will be deducted for every instruction you do not follow and each group will be deducted 1 point from their mark for every student who does not bring their copy (in English!!) of this document to class next Thursday 12th February.

Every group must email their answers BEFORE Sunday 1st March at precisely 23:59:59. No mails will be admitted after the deadline, so please do not wait until the very last minute and get down to work as soon as possible.

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

Breaking The Rhyming Myth

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

Blue Monday

Hi there, Labor Students.

Today is Monday, but not just any Monday. Today is... Blue Monday!

Blue Monday is a name given to the Monday of the last full week of January, thought to be the most depressing day of the year as part of a 2005 publicity campaign by Sky Travel.

The concept is considered pseudoscience with its formula derided by scientists as nonsensical.

Dord

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

Grawlixes

A grawlix is a sequence of typographical symbols used to represent a non-specific, profane word or phrase. Here's an example of a typical grawlix:

#@$%*!

The term first appeared in a 1964 article called Let's get down to grawlixes by American cartoonist Mort Walker. Later, in a book called The Lexicon of Comicana, Walker created and named an international set of symbols used in comics around the world. Walker called his system Symbolia. Here are some examples of other terms in the list:

• agitrons: wiggly lines indicating that something is shaking
• briffits: clouds of dust indicating that a character left in a rush
• emanata: straight lines rising from around a character's head indicating surprise
• plewds: drops of sweat indicating that a character is hot or stressed
• squeans: asterisks with an empty center indicating drunkenness or dizziness
• waftaroms: wavy lines rising from something indicating a strong smell or heat.

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

Is Cereal Soup?

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

Who Brings Gifts to Europe? 2015

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

The 3 Wise Men Didn't Have a GPS 2015

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 2015

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 Resolutions 2015

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 2014? Maybe working harder at school? Spending less time on Tuenti? Leave your comments and tell everybody what your resolutions for the New Year are!

New Year's Day 2015

"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".

New Year Grammar Advice

In 2015, may you never make the mistake of using “could of,” "would of,” or “should of” in your writing!

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

Giant 'El Gordo' lottery grips Spain

A ticket seller, right, in A Coruña was among those celebrating after the draw.

(Reblogged from BBC News)

Christmas has come early for thousands of lucky winners in Spain's €2.2bn (£1.7bn; $2.7bn) lottery called "El Gordo" (The Fat One).

The winners included ticket-holders in Madrid, the south-eastern regions of Murcia and Valencia, A Coruña in the north-west and Cádiz in the south.

It is the world's biggest Christmas lottery, and the live televised draw grips the nation.

There were 10 top prizes, worth €400,000 each, for ticket number 13437.

The lottery has a huge impact for the lucky winners in Spain, where the unemployment rate is nearly 24% and even higher among the under-25s. In some cases it can help hard-up people pay off their debts.

As is customary, the winners' numbers, revealed on wooden balls, were sung by a group of 22 children at Madrid's Royal Theatre.

Unlike many other lotteries, there is no single jackpot - instead the winnings are distributed among thousands of people.

The second prize was worth a total of €1.25m and the third prize 500,000.

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

Labor Walk of Fame 3.0

The following are our best students for the 1st term. Congratulations!:

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

Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night: Remember, Remember, the 5th of November - 2014

ESO Students,

We give you again the post published in previous years 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.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Together

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

Halloween 2014

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!

Daylight Saving Time 2014

Daylight saving time (DST)—also summer time in several countries, in British English, and European official terminology—is the practice of advancing clocks so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.

ESO 3 & ESO 4 1st Term PBL Assignment

ESO 3 & ESO 4 Students,

This is your 2014-15 1st Term PBL assignment:

You must DISCUSS everything and anything this tweet brings to your mind: spelling, grammar, meaning, cultural references, etc.

Every student must print this post and bring it to class on Monday 27th October in order to start working on it straight away. IMPORTANT: it is essential to print the picture above.

Every group must email their answers (in English, of course) BEFORE Sunday 16th November at precisely 23:59:59. No mails will be admitted after the deadline, so please do not wait until the very last minute and get down to work as soon as possible.

You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word "PBL". You must also include the names of each and every group member and the percentage of work that every member has carried out. Your group identification must be as follows: GROUPCOLOUR_CLASS. Example: BLUE_4A

Points will be deducted for every instruction you do not follow and each group will be deducted 1 point from their mark for every student who does not bring their copy of this document to class next Monday 27th.

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

Lurpak advertisement

Lurpak - Lightest from Blink on Vimeo.

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

Four Chord Songs

Australian comedy group 'Axis Of Awesome' perform a sketch from the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Celta’s Cat of Catoira

(Reblogged from The Guardian)

Celta’s Cat of Catoira denies RCD A Coruña 

to become the king of Galicia

Sergio Álvarez Conde, in only his 30th league game in 15 years at the club, kept out a late RCD A Coruña penalty to earn Celta the bragging rights in a derby that has been a rarity in recent years

Joaquín Larrivey scored the winning goal for Celta Vigo against RCD 

A Coruña in the Galician derby. Photograph: Salvador Sas/EPA

“I held on as long as I could.” Sergio Álvarez Conde was talking about the moment, but this was more than a moment. He’d held on, all right: longer, much longer, than it looked. It was the 88th minute of the Galician derby, Celta de Vigo versus RCD A Coruña, and it was coming up to midnight on Tuesday night. Sergio stood on the goalline at Balaídos, staring at the ball on the penalty spot, mentally going over his study notes. Behind it stood Haris Medunjanin. Celta led 2-1. They had been two minutes from a huge victory, one they needed, but now it seemed they were about to be denied. Sergio waited. He didn’t go early, he didn’t move. He held on. And then, suddenly, he flew left and pushed the penalty past the post.

2014/15 Exam Schedule for ESO 2, 3 & 4

ESO 2, 3 & 4 Students,

This is your exam schedule for the 2014/15 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.

How Not to Email your Teacher

In the video below we can hear a professor’s voice criticizing the lack of formality and inappropriate style of an email sent to him by a student.

However, this email was not a word-for-word copy of a student's email but two or three poor emails put together.

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

Are You a Nomophobe?

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

What does the spleen do?

A Parody of "The Fox" by Ylvis. This video was created for the 107th Annual Second Year Show by the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HMS/HSDM) class of 2016.

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

Word Crimes

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

Labor Walk of Fame 2.3

And again, these are the best students during the 3rd term of this school year 2013/2014. Enjoy your holidays!

ESO 1A - Unai Rial Rodríguez (9.5)

ESO 1B - Raquel Cordeiro Canosa (9.5)

ESO 2A - Álvaro de Prado Saborido (9.25)

ESO 2B - Marta Rivas Ramallo (8.3)

33 ways to speak better English

(Reblogged from British English Coach)

If you’re reading this, I imagine you want to communicate with confidence and competence in English.

When we communicate effectively we are able to express our ideas and opinions, share experiences, and build relationships with others. When we struggle to express ourselves, we feel unvalued and insecure. As human beings, we want to participate in group discussions and have an impact on the society around us.

In the modern world, we communicate across borders. English is the closest thing we have to an international language.

By speaking better English, people all over the world can hear our voice. But, to speak better English, you need a teacher, don’t you? You need to take English classes, right?

Solar Roadways

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

How Many Words Do You Need?

What does it mean to know a language? Knowing it perfectly as a native, being capable of having a standard conversation or just knowing a few words or phrases to make yourself understood?

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

This Sentence Has Five Words

"This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals—sounds that say listen to this, it is important.” - Gary Provost

A Tense Situation

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

The End of Juan Carlos' Reign

Labor Students,

We are witnessing a historic moment. Some time or another in the future you will be asked where you were, what you were doing and what you remember about June 2nd 2014, the day King Juan Carlos announced his abdication:

We give you now an edited translation of his full speech as broadcast on television reblogged from El País in English:

“When I was proclaimed king, nearly four decades ago, I took on a firm commitment to serve Spain’s general interest, moved by the desire to make citizens the agents of their own destinies and for our nation to become a modern democracy, one that was fully integrated into Europe.

“I proposed leading the exciting national task of allowing citizens to choose their legitimate representatives and to carry out the great, positive transformation that we all needed so much.

“Today, when I look back, I cannot help feeling proud and grateful to you.

“Proud because of the many good things we have achieved together throughout the years.

“And grateful for your support, which has made my reign – which I began as a young man at a time of great uncertainty and difficulty – a long period of peace, freedom, stability and progress.

“Loyal to the political wishes of my father, from whom I inherited the historical legacy of the Spanish monarchy, I have always wanted to be a king for all Spaniards. I identified with your aspirations, felt joy at your successes and suffered when pain or suffering overwhelmed you.”

In a speech that made a point of expressing hope in the future, Juan Carlos nevertheless made a reference to the crisis and its effects.

“The long, deep economic recession we are enduring has left serious scars in the social fabric, but it is also pointing out a future path that is filled with hope.

“These difficult years have enabled us to do some critical stocktaking to analyze our mistakes and limitations as a society.

“On the other hand, they have also reactivated the proud awareness of what we have been and continue to be: a great nation. All of this has awakened within us a desire for renewal, for self-improvement, for correcting our mistakes and for paving the way to a decidedly better future.

“A new generation is legitimately demanding a central role in the forging of this future. A younger generation with new energy has the determination to undertake the transformation and reforms demanded by the current situation.

“My sole ambition has always been, and always will be, to help attain progress and wellbeing for all Spaniards in a climate of freedom.

“I want the best for Spain, to which I have dedicated my entire life and at whose service I have placed all my ability, my enthusiasm and my work.

“My son Felipe, Prince of Asturias and heir to the Crown, embodies the stability that is a defining feature of our monarchy.

“When I turned 76 last January, I felt that the time had come to prepare the handover to make way for someone who is in the best possible conditions to maintain that stability.

“The Prince of Asturias has the maturity, training and sense of responsibility that are necessary to fully guarantee his position as head of state and begin a new period of hope that combines acquired experience with the thrust of a new generation.

“I am sure he will always be able to count on the support of Princess Letizia.

“And so, guided by the firm belief that I am doing the best service to Spaniards, and now that I have recovered physically and gone back to my institutional activities, I have decided to bring my reign to an end and abdicate the Spanish crown.

“I wish to express my gratitude to the Spanish people, to all the individuals who have embodied the state’s powers and agencies during my reign, and everyone who has generously and loyally helped me perform my duties.

“My gratitude also goes out to Queen Sofia, whose cooperation and generous support have never failed me.

“Spain will always be in my heart.”

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

Passive Voice

(Reblogged from Grammar.net)

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

English: A Stress-Timed Language - American Pronunciation

(Reblogged from Rachel's English)

English is a Stress-Timed language. That means you need contrast between stressed and unstressed syllables—unstressed words may reduce, and will be low in pitch and flatter in shape. In other words, you DON'T pronounce every word fully and clearly!!

VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION:

In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to go over why some words sound different when they're said on their own than they do when they're said as part of a sentence, like 'for', 'fer'. 

A lot of people think, when they're studying a language and they're new to it, that they need to pronounce each word fully and clearly in order to be well-understood. But in English that's actually not the case. English is a stress-timed language. That means some syllables will be longer, and some will be shorter. Many languages, however, are syllable-timed, which means each syllable has the same length. Examples of syllable-timed languages: French, Spanish, Cantonese. So, when an American hears a sentence of English, with each syllable having the same length, it takes just a little bit longer to get the meaning. This is because we are used to stressed syllables, syllables that will pop out of the line because they're longer and they have more shape. Our ears, our brains, go straight to those words. Those are the content words. When all syllables are the same length, then there's no way for the ear to know which words are the most important.

Speaking Exchange

A group of young Brazilian students were keen on learning to speak English fluently. At the same time, lots of elderly people living in residential homes in the USA were longing to talk to someone. The idea was to connect them via Internet.

Would you like to experience this type of  “exchange”?

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

Look Up

"Look up from your phone, shut down that display. Stop watching this video, live life the real way".

No copyright infringement intended. For educational, non commercial purposes

Interviews for World's Toughest Job

Millions of people saw a job posting by a Boston agency for a "director of operations" position, but only 24 people applied.

In today's tough job market, why did so few people show an interest? It could be because of the requirements of the job.

The website rehtom.net posted the job and paid for ads, hoping to get the right applicant. So what is required from the right applicant? Here's a partial list:

• Must be able to work 135 or more hours a week
• Ability to work overnights
• Willingness to forgo breaks
• Work mostly standing up and/or bending
• Must be able to lift up to 75 lbs. on a regular basis
• Crisis management skills a must
• Ability to manage a minimum of 10-15 projects at one time
• Ability to coordinate multiple, often conflicting, schedules
• Ability to work with associates with minimal ability
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in negotiating, counseling and culinary arts
• Understanding of finance
• Understanding of medicine
• Positive disposition at all times

So who would hire for a such a job? Only one way to find out. Watch this video to see the interviews and real-time reactions. Believe us, it's worth it to watch to the end.

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

The Benefits of Reading Books

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

THX1138

THX1138 Director's cut: The Future Trailer

Set in the 25th century, the story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society...

In an overpopulated futuristic Earth, a New York police detective finds himself marked for murder by government agents when he gets too close to a bizarre state secret involving the origins of a revolutionary and needed new foodstuff.

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

The Power of Ideas

“The Power of Ideas” is a new contest launched by Cambridge University Press Iberia addressed to Primary School teachers and students.

They believe in the power of ideas and imagination to change reality, to create new things and to improve the world around us.

The idea is to invent one or several powers that people could possess and explain how they could use it to change things. You can participate individually, in small or big teams but an English teacher must take part in the project’s conception.

You must upload your ideas to http://www.quickminds.es/the-power-of-ideas/participa/1 in several formats: video, audio, picture or pdf. Each project must include a description of maximum 50 words in English.

The prizes are as follows:

1^st - 4,000 euros

2^{nd -} 3,000 euros

3^{rd -} 2,500 euros

4th - 2,000 euros

5th - 1,500 euros

And a special prize for the school which submits more projects (3,000 euros)

If you are keen on participating, remember that the deadline is 20^th October 2014.

You can read all the information in Spanish by clicking here: http://www.quickminds.es/the-power-of-ideas

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

Hurricane Carter

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (born 6th May 1937, died 20th April 2014) was an American middleweight boxer.

In 1966, police arrested Carter for a triple homicide in the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey. Police stopped Carter's car and brought him and another occupant, John Artis, to the scene of the crime. There was little physical evidence. Police took no fingerprints at the crime scene and lacked the facilities to conduct a paraffin test for gunshot residue. None of the eyewitnesses identified Carter or Artis as the shooters. Carter and Artis were tried and convicted twice (1967 and 1976) for the murders, but after the second conviction was overturned in 1985, prosecutors chose not to try the case for a third time.

Carter's story inspired the 1975 Bob Dylan song Hurricane and 1999 Norman Jewison's film starring Denzel Washington. From 1993 to 2005, Carter served as executive director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. 

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

3 Things I Learned While My Plane Crashed

Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549, the plane that crash-landed in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009. What went through his mind as the doomed plane went down? At TED, he tells his story publicly for the first time.

Original TED Talk with English subtitles at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias

Labor Walk of Fame 2.1

The following are our best students for the second term:

ESO 1A: Unai Rial, Xacobe Piñeiro and Gonzalo Torres - 9.2

ESO 1B: Raquel Cordeiro - 8.8

ESO 2A: Álvaro de Prado - 9.5

ESO 2B: Rodrigo Otero - 7.96

ESO 3A: Andrea Cobo - 8.55

ESO 3B: Irene Sánchez -9.57

ESO 4A: Asta Rohde -7.78

ESO 4B: Paula Suárez - 5,74


Congratulations!

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

Graduation Speech: ESO 4 2013-14 3rd Term PBL Assignment

ESO 4 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for the 3rd term. All of you have to WRITE and DELIVER your GRADUATION SPEECH.  You have to imagine you are going to stand in the school Assembly Hall before your teachers, classmates, parents and guests at your ESO graduation ceremony (to be held on June 20th) and deliver your speech, which must be at least 350 WORDS LONG.

The best student will be offered the chance to deliver his or her speech at your graduation ceremony... in English!! Of course, he or she will get extra points in the final mark for that effort.

ESO 2 & ESO 3 3rd Term PBL

ESO 2 & ESO 3 Students,

This is your PBL assignment for the 2013-14 3rd term. You have a double task concerning 20 inspiring children books quotations:

• You have to find what book each quotation belongs to and the author of each of those books.
• You have to translate the quotations into the language of your choice, Galician or Spanish.

And these are the quotations:

1. If things start happening, don't worry, don't stew. Just go right along and you'll start happening too.
2. The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
3. True friends never ask for anything.
4. Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
5. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
6. Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.
7. You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.
8. There is no place like home.
9. We all can dance when we find music that we love.
10. Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.
11. I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
12. I love you right up to the moon — and back.
13. If you have good thoughts... they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.
14. It is when we are most lost that we sometimes find our truest friends.
15. The moment where you doubt you can fly, you cease for ever being able to do it.
16. ...The more he gave away, the more delighted he became.
17. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
18. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can.
19. Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.
20. Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough. You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it.

Every group must email their answers BEFORE Sunday 18th May at precisely 23:59:59. No mails will be admitted after the deadline, so please do not wait until the very last minute and get down to work as soon as possible.

You must fill in the "subject" section of your mail messages with YOUR GROUP IDENTIFICATION and the word 'PBL'. You must also include the names of each and every group member and the percentage of work that every member has carried out.

Points will be deducted for every instruction you do not follow.

NB:

ESO 3 students must print this post and bring it to class next Tuesday 22nd April.

ESO 2 students must print this post and bring it to class next Wednesday 23rd April.

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

Opportunity

Opportunity is missed by most people 

because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas Alva Edison

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

April Fools' Day 2014

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is a day celebrated in many countries on April 1st. The day is named for the custom of playing practical jokes and hoaxes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. Traditionally, in some countries, such as the UK, Australia and South Africa the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool". Elsewhere, such as in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, The Netherlands, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.