Halloween is coming!

Do you like the pumpkin lanterns lit during Halloween? If you like them, you can pick up your knife and choose to take part in the pumpkin carving contest and make your Halloween different! Transform your pumpkin into a spooky Halloween Jack 'O Lantern and bring them to class next Wednesday 29^th or Thursday 30^th

Trust your inspiration and create fantastic pumpkins to win a creepy prize!

Let’s prepare to celebrate Halloween together!

Good luck. We’re all looking forward to seeing your pumpkins!

Contestants: Basic Level 1

 

Welcome on board!

Dear students,

A new school year is starting and my wish for you is ...

Let's enjoy the adventure of learning together and never give up.

Welcome to your 1st level of A2 Blog. 

Thank you!

Thank you for being such wonderful students!

And remember that whatever I do, I always have my students in mind and all the assignments and work that I give you are for your own good and never mine.

Thank you to all my students for a great year!

FINAL EXAMS ARE HERE

Exams are here. Don't panic and keep calm and study English.
You can do it well.





Watch this video performed by Turtle Lake Elementary School Fifth Grade Teachers.

Good luck!

Happy St. George's Day!

St George's Day is celebrated in England on 23 April, in honour of St George, the patron saint of England.

The 23 April 1616 was also the date of the death of the English playwright William Shakespeare. UNESCO marked this historic date by declaring it the International Day of the Book. 

Many Catalonian men present their female relatives with roses on St George's Day (Día de San Jorge) in Spain. The day is celebrated on April 23 each year. Lovers also swap gifts of books and roses on this day. Click here.

If you want to know more information about St. George's Day, surf on the websites below and listen to the story of George and the Dragon:

St. George's Day.com

St. George's Day 2014

And, as I can't give a book to all of you, let me share with you a link (www.voicesinthedark.com) where you can find  free audiobooks and stories read aloud by real people for free! Click here.   

Happy St. George's Day!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Easter!

History of Easter

History of Easter Eggs

Dates and ordinal numbers

Pronunciation of -ED

Parts of the day

Adverbs of frequency

St. Patrick's Day

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day on 17th March. Enjoy the song we sang in class in its different versions.

And listen to It's a long way to Tipperary.

If you want to know more things about St. Patrick's Day, click here.

Simple Present – Present Progressive

Form

Simple Present	Present Progressive
infinitive (3rd person singular: infinitive + 's') I speak you speak he / she / it speaks we speak they speak	form of 'be' and verb + ing   I am speaking you are speaking he / she / it is speaking we are speaking they are speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 's' : For can, may, might, must, do not add s. Example: he can, she may, it must After o, ch, sh or s, add es. Example: do - he does, wash - she washes After a consonant, the final consonant ybecomes ie. (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - he worries but: play - he plays	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : Silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing After a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled. Example: sit - sitting After a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English). Example: travel - travelling (British English) but: traveling (American English) Final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

See also explanations on Simple Present and Present Progressive

Use

In general or right now?

Do you want to express that something happens in general or that something is happening right now?

Simple Present	Present Progressive
in general (regularly, often, never) Colin plays football every Tuesday. present actions happening one after another First Colin plays football, then he watches TV.	right now Look! Colin is playing football now. also for several actions happening at the same time Colin is playing football and Anne is watching.
Signal words
always every ... often normally usually sometimes seldom never first then	at the moment at this moment today now right now Listen! Look!
Note: The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Present: be, have, hear, know, like, love, see, smell, think, want

Timetable / Schedule or arrangement?

Do you want to express that something is arranged for the near future? Or do you refer to a time set by a timetable or schedule?

Simple Present	Present Progressive
action set by a timetable or schedule The film starts at 8 pm.	arrangement for the near future I am going to the cinema tonight.

Daily routine or just for a limited period of time?

Do you want to talk about a daily routine? Or do you want to emphasis that something is only going on for a limited (rather short) period of time?

Simple Present	Present Progressive
daily routine Bob works in a restaurant.	only for a limited period of time (does not have to happen directly at the moment of speaking) Jenny is working in a restaurant this week.

Certain Verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Present (not in the progressive form).

• state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit
  Example: We are on holiday.
• possession: belong, have
  Example: Sam has a cat.
• senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
  Example: He feels the cold.
• feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish
  Example: Jane loves pizza.
• brain work: believe, know, think, understand
  Example: I believe you.
• Introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say
  Example: “I am watching TV,“ he says.

Click here to do some exercises.

Source: http://www.ego4u.com/

International Women's Day

"Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others." (Amelia Earhart)

Today is International Women’s Day! 

You can watch the following films in order to think about gender equality and women's social demands. Click here.

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy St Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine was a bishop who lived in the third century in Rome who fight against Emperor Claudius II who ban marriage between two young lovers.

Saint Valentine held the law of the church and helped lovers who came to him, uniting them in a holy matrimony, but it was only a matter of time before the Emperor heard about this and had him arrested.

Valentine was imprisoned. While waiting for his sentence, his jailor Asterius approached him to use his saintly power, and heal his blind daughter. Valentine succeeded and her sight was restored -- they became close and fell in love.

After a while, the Emperor asked Saint Valentine to agree with the emperor about the ban on marriage, thus giving up his religion. Valentine refused.

Just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper and signed a farewell message to his lover, "from your Valentine"; a phrase that lived ever after.

What do you think about our version of Valentine's History? Share your thoughts!

Watch the video.

Prepositions of time and place

Telling the time in English

Click here to learn more about telling the time. For more information click here.

Watch this video.

Happy New Year 2014

Watch London New Year Fireworks. Click here.