CLASS 7 (26.JAN-6.FEB.09)

We're back! You have the HORARIS DESDOBLAMENTS for the second term in the right menu of the blog.

Let's start practicing with unit 3 in your book "Have you heard?". The objectives of this unit are:

• Discuss the attraction of gossip
• Guess the meanings of words from context
• verb + preposition
• used to / would / be used to / get used to
• Contrast present perfect simple and past simple (talk about the past)
• Time words and connectors of sequence
• Write a biography

First of all we're going to deal with the present perfect simple and the past simple. We've already dealt with the form and use of these verb tenses, and now we are going to have a look at some time expresions and adverbs we use with these tenses: yet, already, just, for, since, ago.

Study carefully the following mind maps and do the exercises you have after them (open the exercises in a different window so you can look at the diagrams while you are doing the exercises).

If you want to download a mind map with all the information about present perfect and adverbs click on PRESENT PERFECT AND ADVERBS.

EXERCISES:

• for - since 1
• for - since 2
• for - since 3
• for - since 4
• for - since 5
• for - since 6
• until - since - for
• never
• present perfect particles
• present perfect use
• present perfect word order 1
• present perfect word order 2
• present perfect word order 3
• present perfect word order 4
• present perfect and past simple 1
• present perfect or past simple 2

Now, do you want to know more about gossip and rumours? Go to It's my life and read all the information you have about this topic. It will be helpful for you to enlarge your vocabulary about this topic. There are no exercises, you only have to read the information in the website, and look up the words you don't understand in an on-line dictionary or translator. You can also vote in and take the How do most rumors get started? and take the Raging Rumours Quiz.




HOMEWORK

• Finish all the exercises you haven't done on the present perfect simple and the simple past.
  
• Open the main menu in "Top Marks 3 - Student's Activity Multirom" and do all the exercises in Grammar: present perfect simple; Vocabulary: adjectives and prepositions, verbs and prepositions; Listening: Chocolate... facts and myth. Then fill in the chart homework 3 with your scores and send it to cristina.itaca@gmail.com before your next class.
  

CHRISTMAS

Christmas are about to come and today we are going to do some activities to know more about this festivity:

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY

You may need to have a look at this words in order to know more about Christmas.

• Christmas words
• Symbols and traditions of Christmas

CHRISTMAS HISTORY

Learn about the story of Christmas and then try to do the quiz. You can also write your personal Christmas story.

• History
• Quiz
• Your own Christmas Story
  

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

How is Christmas celebrates all around the world? In the following websites you will learn many things about celebrating Christmas in different countries ans also how to say Merry Christmas in 123 different languages.

• Christmas around the world
• Merry Christmas in 123 languages
  

CHRISTMAS POSTCARDS

Send a Christmas card to your teacher to cristina.itaca@gmail.com from the following websites:

• The holiday spot
• Black dog
• Youth Online Club
• BillyBear
• Greeting Cards

CHRISTMAS GAMES

And now it's time to have some fun with these Christmas games. Try to play them all.

• Christmas Wordsearch
• Christmas Match Game
• Christmas Hangman Game
• Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle
• Christmas Sliding Puzzle
• Christmas Trivia
• Christmas Quiz
• Christmas Word Jumble
• Memory Game
• Seek-a-word
• Santa's Christmas Quiz
• Christmas Word Jumble

CLASS 6 (1-19.DEC.08)

INTERNET INTRODUCTIONS

This year we want to find some partners in a foreign country, so you can meet people from other countries and talk to them in English. While we are looking for schools you'll have to make your own personal introductions, so your future friends can know about you. You have to tell them about you, your family and friends, school, city, hobbies... anything you want people to know about you.

But you are not going to write a composition, you are going to introduce yourselves with a slideshow that must include photographs and text in English. We are going to use BUBBLESHARE a website where you can create a free account and upload photos to share with friends and family. You have to follow these steps:

1. Go to BUBBLESHARE and sign up (right top of the page) to create your own account. Remember your email and password, bacause you will need it later if you want to go back to your account. Once you are registered you only have to log in with the same name and password.
2. Now you are ready to use bubbleshare. First you have to create a new album and write the album settings (name, privacy, theme).
3. Then choose the photos you have to add in browse for photos. You can add all the photos you want to include in your introduction. You can add or remove photos later. When you are finished click NEXT. You must add a minimum of 10 photos.
4. Your album is already done. Now it's time to edit the pictures. You can add gizmos to the pictures, rotate or delate the photos.
5. You have to write a title for each photo describing it IN ENGLISH.
6. If you click sequence album you can order the photos the way they are going to appear in the slideshow.
7. Your album is finished now, but you can edit and change it as many times as you like.
8. Once you album is finished in Blog album you can share it in you blogs, websites, myspaces... (copy and paste the HTML code). If you want to publish it in your facebook click View album and share on facebook.

Here you have my album with my introduction. I hope you'll like it
BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

HOMEWORK

I want to see your albums as well, so you'll have to sent it to cristina.itaca@gmail.com using Email album in Bubbleshare. This is your homework for the Christmas holidays. Remember you have to do it IN ENGLISH. You'll have to send your internet introduction before January 8th, 2009. If you have any problems ask me by email during the holidays, and I'll try to solve them.

CLASS 5 (17-28.NOV.08)

WRITING
COMPOSITIONS


Today we will practise with some very important things about writing compositions. We will work on the composition you have done for homework "My ideal date". Your teacher will give you a copy of this composition and you will use it to work on a new version.

Click on the picture to go WRITING COMPOSITIONS

HOMEWORK

• Rewrite your composition "My ideal date" (150 words) using the ideas we have explained in our class today. Then write an e-mail to cristina.itaca@gmail.com with the composition attached. The subject of your e-mail must be "My ideal date 2".

CLASS 4 (3-14.NOV.08)

UNIT 2 - THE PERFECT DATE
I hope you all did very well in your exams. Let's start working on the next unit. In Unit 2 - THE PERFECT DATE you are going to deal with:

• Past simple, past continuous and present perfect simple
• Gerunds and infinitives
• Common noun suffixes
• Main idea in paragraphs
• Describing a person
• Word order

First of all we are going to practice with the PAST SIMPLE, the PAST CONTINUOUS and the PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE. Remember you have to know the list of irregular verbs you have in your book (pages 138 and 139). In the following links you will find exercises to practice them:

• English Learning Website : Do the past simple, past continuous exercises and present perfect exercises.
• The Happy Verby Gang : Try with the Past Simple Boy, Lady Past Continuous and the Present Perfect Man. It has explanations in Spanish!
• English 4U : Do the past tense exercises (7),the past progressive (6) and the present perfect (3). (past progressive is the same as past continuous).
• Past simple order : Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
• Correct the mistakes :The sentences are wrong, you have to correct them!
• English Grammar Online: Simple Past : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.
• English Grammar Online: Past Continuous : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.
• English Grammar Online: Present Perfect : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.

Describing a person is one of the topics of this unit. Click the pictures of this three famous people and you will find their biographies. Fill in the blanks to complete them.

HOMEWORK

• Read Teen Date Ideas: Dinner and a Movie? and 25 things to do on a first date and write a composition (150 words) explaining to your teacher you ideal date. Then write an e-mail to cristina.itaca@gmail.com with the composition attached. The subject of your e-mail must be "My ideal date".
• Continue practising with the past simple, the past continuous and the present perfect in the links you have above. If you have any problems with these verb tenses, ask your teachers for help

CLASS 3 (20-31.OCT.08) - HALLOWEEN

1. Let’s start with some vocabulary for Halloween. Go to Halloween Vocabulary and read the definitions you have there. They will be helpful to play the Halloween Hangman.


2. Now you are ready to go to It's Halloween Time. You have to enter all the sections, read the information and do the exercises you have there. When you finish you will be ready for THE HORROR HOUSE.


3. The next stage is reading A Horror Story for Halloween and do the multiple choice exercise.
4. Watch the “Dancing Pumpkin” video. While you are watching it, answer the questions. Don’t forget to click on “See how you did” at the end of the activity.

If you want to know about Halloween you have lots of things at the Bristish Council: magazine articles, word games, a spelloween, stories, cartoons, trivia, links…

Do you want to celebrate Halloween with some games? In Halloween Online Games you have plenty of games. Have a look at them! And if you likeword searchs, try to solve the Wilstar Halloween Word Search

Happy Halloween!

HOMEWORK

• Send a Halloween card to your teacher. You can find some at The Holiday Spot, Billy Bear 4 Kids or Blackdog.
• Do lots of practice with the links in CLASS 2 to practise for the unit 1 exam you will have very soon.
• You can also practise for the exam repeating the exercises in "Top Marks 1 - Student's Activity Multirom" you have already done.

CLASS 2 (6-17.OCT.08)

Lets start working again! This week we are going to practice the contents in UNIT 1 – THE WAY WE LEARN.

First of all we are going to practice with the PRESENT SIMPLE and the PRESENT CONTINUOUS in the following links:

• English 4U : do the present simple exercises (3), the present simple negation (4), the present tense questions (6) and the present progressive ones (7) (present progressive is the same as present continuous).
• English Learning Website : Do the present simple and present continuous exercises.
• English Grammar Online: Simple Present :
  Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.
• English Grammar Online: Present Progressive : Form, use and plenty of exercises at the end of the page.
• ESL Lounge: Simple Present : Do all the simple present exercises in this website. You also have explanations about the simple present tense use and structure.
• ESL Lounge: Present Continuous : Do all the present continuous exercises in this website. You also have explanations about the present continuous use and structure.
• The Happy Verby Gang :try with the Present Simple Girl and Present Continuous Guy. It has explanations in Spanish!

Lots of verbs!!! Now It's time for some fun. Listen to I Want to Break Free by Queen while you fill in the gaps of the lyrics.

HOMEWORK

• Listen to Here is the news , and do the gapfill exercise. Open the mp3 player in a new window if you want to look at the questions while you are listening. You may need to listen to it more than once. Then send your scores to cristina.itaca@gmail.com.
• You have to do more practice of UNIT 1 - THE WAY WE LEARN. You need to download this document with exercises, copy and paste it in a word document, and then complete them and send it back to cristina.itaca@gmail.com.
• If you haven't finidsed all the exercises in the class today, or if you think you can do them better, try to do them again. If you need more practice, there's a new link Agenda Web with lots of free exercises to practice your English!

You have to do all this homework before your next class in the computer room.