He ain't heavy, he's my brother

The story behind this nº 1 song in the UK:http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/dec/23/christmas-no-1-hillsborough-single

The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows where But I'm strong Strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me He ain't heavy, he's my brother If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to there Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy he's my brother He's my brother He ain't heavy, he's my brother

The fat one

Did you win the lottery? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/22/el-gordo-jackpot-spain

Lessons in January

The first lessons after the holidays will be on Tuesday 8th

From Kipper-Williams The Guardian

Dogs taught to drive a car

Vocabulary quiz - answers

1) leave

2) require

3) kids

4) wear the trousers

5) leave out

6) lately

7) ensure

8) put off

9) take after

10) tedious

11) I'm in two minds about something

12) grow up

13) dumb

14) owing to

15) a feeling that you are certain is right, although you can give no good reason why

16) follow

17) pound

18) raise

19) I have a high level of English

20) siblings

Oral exam - Tips for the monologue

Write an outline and follow it during your speech. This could be a typical outline:

a. Introduction
What is the topic of your speech? Why should the audience listen to your speech? What will your main points be?

b. The body 
What are your main points and ideas (sub-topics)? 
What is your supporting evidence and information (sub-sub-topics)? 
What are the causes and possible solutions to this problem?

c. The conclusion 
What were the main points of your speech, and what do you want the audience to remember?


Criteria and tips to follow during your speech:

- Accurate pronunciation, fluency, correct rhythm and intonation and gestures (non-verbal communication).

- Follow your outline and use connectors to link the different parts.

- Use appropriate vocabulary and register. The vocabulary must be appropriate for the situation and it should be presented in a critical and creative way.

- Use a wide range of words and expressions to explain the topic, using synonyms, antonyms, metaphors, etc. Your language should be idiomatic and rich in ideas.

- Add comments, cultural background, extra details, etc.

- Use a wide range of structures, making no mistakes.

- You actually make the proposed speech and stick to the instructions.

December tests (UPDATE)

ALTERNO LUNES & MIÉRCOLES:

10th December: Reading (50 minutes) & Writing (55 minutes)

12th December: Listening (20 minutes) & orals

17th December: Orals

19th December: Marks & last lesson before the holidays

Just the monologue, no time for interaction, which will be done in March. Students will be given 4 minutes to prepare a topic and take notes, then they'll have to speak for about 4 or 5 minutes. The tests will be recorded

ALTERNO MARTES & JUEVES:

11th December: Reading (50 minutes) & Writing (55 minutes)

13th December: Listening (35 minutes) & orals

18th December: Orals

20th December: Marks & last lesson before the holidays

Just the monologue, no time for interaction, which will be done in March. Students will be given 4 minutes to prepare a topic and take notes, then they'll have to speak for about 4 or 5 minutes. The tests will be recorded

DIARIO:

10th December: Reading (50 minutes)

11th December: Writing (55 minutes)

12th December: Listening (35 minutes) & orals

13th, 17th December: Orals

19th December: Marks & last lesson before the holidays

Just the monologue, no time for interaction, which will be done in March. Students will be given 4 minutes to prepare a topic and take notes, then they'll have to speak for about 4 or 5 minutes. The tests will be recorded

Drabble Competition

See the information HERE

Newspapers

If you want to compare 3 different kinds of newspaper you can have a look at these:

- Tabloid: Daily Mirror - http://www.mirror.co.uk/
- Somewhere in the middle: Daily Mail - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html
- Broadsheet / quality: The Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/

Seminarios Grundtvig

Grundtvig es la sección de la APEE (Organismo Autónomo de Programas Europeos) que se centra en la enseñanza de adultos. Los alumnos de la EOI mayores de 18 años pueden elegir una de las "acciones" de dicho organismo europeo para beneficiarse de una estancia en un país europeo (nunca en España) con el fin de asistir a algún seminario como PARTICIPANTE

Se puede acceder a toda la información en esta página: http://www.oapee.es/oapee/inicio/pap/grundtvig/seminarios--talleres-.html


Si os interesa algún workshop del catálogo, deberéis poneros en contacto con la institución organizadora para ver si os admiten y, si la respuesta es afirmativa, iniciar los trámites con la agencia española APEE para rellenar los formularios (no hay plazos fijos pero hay que hacerlo con tiempo, al menos un mes antes del inicio del seminario)

Best of luck!!!!

Tweet

Click HERE to read and listen to this story from the BB LEARNING ENGLISH webpage

Fast Car

British & American English

Click HERE to read the document

BBC Radio 4

I always tend to avoid the unreliable, old-fashioned Spanish National radio and listen to BBC Radio4 instead: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/

La imagen de España - Part 4

Worrying, isn't it? http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/25/spain-valdevaqueros-beach

Refuerzos Segundo de Avanzado

(Starting next week)

Reading Club every Tuesday from 8.00 - 9.00 pm, room 202

Información sobre la biblioteca

Carnés de usuario

Los alumnos nuevos lo podrán recoger en Secretaría llevando una foto de carné. El horario de secretaría es el siguiente:

Lunes a viernes de 9:00 a 14:00 y martes y miércoles de 17:00 a 20:00Los alumnos antiguos que solicitaran el carné de la biblioteca en años anteriores pueden seguir utilizando el mismo carné este curso. Los alumnos antiguos a los que haya caducado el carné o por cualquier razón no lo tengan y quieran solicitarlo lo pueden hacer enviando un correo electrónico a bibliotecaeoi@gmail.com. Como asunto que especifiquen que es para solicitar el carné, y en el mensaje que pongan su nombre, apellidos y su DNI. Lo podrán recoger una semana después en Secretaría, también con una foto

Education

Click HERE to listen to Claire, Will and Charlie again. Go to FILE and then DOWNLOAD

Does school kill creativity?

Listening practice

Click HERE to read and listen to the news story about Heathrow Terminal 5

Click HERE to watch the video about Thomas Cook

Click HERE to see the questions again and check the answers

Gap-year students

Click HERE to read the article from the Telegraph Newspaper

Click HERE to see some information about Year in Industry

A Plate of Peas

A Plate of Peas appears in a book of short stories compiled by Paul Auster called TRUE STORIES OF AMERICAN LIFE. Truly wonderful and memorable!!!!  http://rickbeyer.net/index.php?page=bio&display=36

We Will - Rumer ( a song about childhood)

It's over now you've had your fun
Get up them stairs go on quickly
Don't run
Take off your shoes the both of you's
Leave them down outside the door
Turn the landing light off,
No wait, leave it on,
It might make the night
That much easier to be gone
And in the morning who'll be wide awake
And eating snowflakes
As opposed to those flakes.

We will, we will

That afternoon we spent the day
With uncle Frank and his wife auntie Mae
Well do you know since then
I've received up to four letters
All of which repeat the same
They say thrilled to bits
Can't believe you came
We've relived it both
Over time and time again
And if there's even a chance
Or even half you might be our way
Would you promise to stay

We will, we will

Oh it's not easy pretending that you cannot hear
Once you've suffered the affliction within
It's no use in an ending to proclaim from the start
That the moral of the story's to begin.
On Sunday next if the weather holds
We'll have that game
But I bagsy-being-in-goal
Not because I'm good
Or because I think I should
It's just that well at my age
I think standing still
Would really suit me best
Do we all agree?
Hands up those who do,
Hands up those who don't
I see well in that case
Will we please be kind enough
If not on Sunday,
To go to mass on Monday

School Library

ESCUELA OFICIAL DE IDIOMAS DE ALBACETE

SEMANA A

·      Lunes            21:00 a 21:50

·      Martes          13:00 a 13:50   y   17:00 a 17:50

·      Jueves          17:00 a 18:50   y    20:00 a 20:50

·      Viernes         13:00 a 13:50

SEMANA B

·      Lunes            21:00 a 21:50

·      Martes          17:00 a 17:50

·      Jueves          17:00 a 18:50  

·      Viernes         13:00 a 13:50

	SEMANA A	SEMANA B
Noviembre	12 - 16	5 - 9
	26 - 30	19 - 23
Diciembre	10 - 14	3 - 7
	------	17 - 21
Enero	14 - 18	7 - 11
	28 - 1 (Febrero)	21 - 25
Febrero	11 - 15	4 - 8
	25 - 1 (Marzo)	18 - 22
Marzo	11 - 15	4 - 8
	25 - 29	18 - 22
Abril	15 - 19	8 - 12
	29 - 3 (Mayo)	22 - 26
Mayo	13 - 17	6 - 10
	27 - 31	20 - 24

Listening Diary

If you want to make a record of your experience listening to English either on the radio or watching some TV programmes, you can record it HERE and give it to me at the end of the course

When we were young

Concurso de vídeo

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What kids really want ( A perfect summer's day)

Click HERE to read the article

Extra Grammar Units

Click HERE to do the grammar activities of Unit 1(the first one has already been done in class)

Click HERE to get the key to the exercises for the whole course

SharedTalk

Interested in finding people from other countries to practise your English? Why don't you try this website? http://www.sharedtalk.com/

Constructing the Indestructible

A nice story about an object that is `indestructible´: http://video.on.nytimes.com/#100000001891050

Jeremy Irons

You may have read the text on page 13 of the Workbook about a TV programme called Who do you think you are? which deals with family history of famous people. Here are some extracts from the programme, which you'll understand better after you've read the text. The sound's not great, by the way

According to Wikipedia, Chartism was a Victorian era working class movement for political reform in Britain between 1838 and 1848

Reading for pleasure

The class reading club serves two purposes:

1.     Read authentic literary texts in English

2.     Provide material for the oral exam in March (we’ll do the monologue in December, interaction-Book club discussion-in March and both in May)

Students have been organised in groups of 3, each one having to talk about one aspect of the book they’ve read: passage, culture and connector. Besides, everybody will have to do the part that deals with vocabulary

Don’t get too obsessed with vocabulary. Some students may think that bringing up very literary or difficult words will make a good impression. On the contrary, I see reading original texts as an activity that helps us mainly to consolidate language we already know. Of course, there are always words or phrases that appear again and again and we should take advantage of that as well

The roles are pretty open and you can focus on the aspects you think most relevant. If you’re going to read the short stories, it’s probably best to concentrate on some of them and not all. You don’t have to remember every single detail of what happens or the names of all the characters

All in all, I’d be happy if you found reading a pleasure and not a tiresome task. In my opinion, that’s precisely what really matters in the long term

Obama's victory

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20240953

Electing a US president (in plain English)

Writing a CV & covering letter

Click HERE to see two examples of CV (one British, one American) and a covering letter to apply for a job

Reading club - participants

Click on the LINK to see the groups

The power of half

Click HERE to watch the video again

Hurricane in Brooklyn

This and more stories here: http://video.on.nytimes.com/#100000001874961

The `readers´ are ready

The two books I ordered last week are ready to be picked up from LIBRERIA POPULAR

See eye to eye

Does this idiom always go with a negative verb? Check out the different contexts of  `see eye to eye´ : http://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/search?source=auto&query=see+eye+to+eye

Another vocabulary problem that came up in class the other day: what's the difference between RELATION and RELATIONSHIP ? Click on each word to see the definitions

See eye to eye (literal meaning)

Spain recession

Look up this vocabulary first:

economic crisis
recession
a real estate office
the construction boom went bust
hold real estate debt
a bailout from Europe
credit is still very tight
unemployment rate more than 24%
seen their salaries frozen or cut
businesses have filed for bankruptcy
many that remain open are struggling
my income has gone down
my taxes have gone up

Now you can watch the video here: http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t3#/video/world/2012/10/26/lklv-goodman-spain-recession-neighborhood.cnn

GRAMMAR - HAVE - ANSWERS

PAGE 8 STUDENT'S BOOK:

Exercise a:
1-F
2-G
3-E
4-H
5-A
6-C
7-D
8-B

Exercise b:
Main verb: B, D, G, H
Auxiliary: A ,C, E, F

PAGE 137:

Exercise a:
1, 2, 4, 6, 9:  correct
3. Does your husband have
5. have you had
7. had many problems
8. haven't had

Exercise b:
1. hasn't got / doesn't have any brothers...
2. to have a family photo taken...
3. visitors to this site have to wear...
4. hasn't seen his father since 2009
5. hasn't got / doesn't have the right...
6. don't have to / hasn't got to do...
7. had a swim every morning
8. have you got on
9. to have the central heating fixed

SING - GARY BARLOW

First, with the lyrics on the screen:

Now, the real thing:

Atención al alumno

Hora de atención al alumno: viernes de 10.00 a 11.00 de la mañana

Email address: eoidmanu@gmail.com  (nuestro horario no contempla dicha atención ya que la Administración no lo acepta como horas de trabajo, pero seguiré manteniendo esta forma de contacto en atención a los alumnos y a mi ética profesional)

Reading Club

I popped into LIBRERÍA POPULAR this morning to order the books, I'll let you know when they'll be ready for collection

You can click HERE to see the different roles, but next week I'll tell each one of you which one you'll have to do more specifically

Accents of English

Collocations exercise - answers

MATCHING

tricky situation – wedding reception – luxury hotel – religious festival – golden opportunity – organic farming – speak fluently – sleep deeply – live dangerously – die peacefully – walk briskly – give generously

CLARIFYING COLLOCATIONS

SPEAK: your mind, English, more slowly please

TALK: utter nonsense, behind someone’s back, rubbish

TELL: the truth…, lies, me what you’re thinking

SAY: one thing and do another, what you’re thinking, the first thing that comes…

WORD ORDER

Fairly average monthly salary

Extremely costly mistake

Very happy working environment

Rather delicate matter

Amazing photographic memory

Stunningly beautiful rose garden

IMPROVEMENTS

1.     harmful – 2. Dire  - 3. Exhausting  4. Filthy  5. Severe  6. Miraculous  7. Distorted  8. First-rate

COMMON VERBS

MAKE: amends, a fortune, time, a profit, or break, something up (invent)

DO: the washing, evil, housework, nothing, the ironing, some work, something up , time (in prison)

GET: the sack, lost, a cold, wet, your hair cut, moving

HAVE: a good time, a baby, a good memory, no choice, your hair cut, a problem, a cold, time, no objection

Leonardo's exhibition

What's special about Leonardo da Vinci's paintings? Find out here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2011/nov/11/leonardo-da-vinci-national-gallery-video

Pronunciation in slow and fast speech

To listen to the recordings you must go to FILE and then click on DOWNLOAD

A16

A17

A18

A19

A20