The Paris agreement

A video about Climate Change first.

Links about the Paris Climate Agreement:

Video 1
Video  2
The US position

Tutoría project (4ºD)

The Tutoría project this year ("El mundo se mueve, movamos el mundo") includes three different parts.

Part one. "A sutainable world": We will watch videos and read documents to later discuss them and come up with specific actions ("ecotasks") we can take on the issue. The Story of Stuff movie is the first video, we will also watch this one in the Educaixa website).

Part two. "A Committed World": What are you doing to make this a better world? An "ecopassport" will be issued where you can jot down different ecofriendly actions you are carrying out (a seal will be stamped on it for each one of the "ecotasks" you are doing). Apart from that I would also like you to share with the rest of the class your experiences in the Aprendizaje Servicio activities you are carrying out, for example teaching English in the Centro de Mayores Primavera.

Part three. We will make an urban garden in the school. Ideas welcome!


(Project designed by our school counsellor Yolanda Gómez)

Grammar revision (3ºB, 3ºC)

Online practice. Click on the links: 

Future Perfect and Continuous:
-The Future Perfect. Click on these links: #1, #2
-The Future Continuous (or "Progressive"): #3 , #4 
-Mixed Future tenses: #5 , #6  

Expressing Ability (can, could, be able to)
#1
#2
#3

Reported Speech (Statements)
#1
#2
#3

(Remember the contents are cumulative, revise also the ones for the first term)

Exam dates (B1B/C)

York

-Friday February 9: Listening Exam (based on Gattaca). 1.5 points.

-Tuesday Feb.13: Reading (1 p.) +Writing exam (2 p.). (EvAU model). 

-Thursday Feb. 22: A Foreigner in Britain exam (1 p.).

-Monday Feb. 26: A Trip to Britain presentation (deadline to send me your ppts: Friday 23). 1.5 points.

-Tuesday March 6: Grammar and vocabulary exam. (3 p.)

Exam dates (3ºB, 3ºC, 4ºD) Updated for 3ºB&C

Cornwall

3ºB& 3ºC

-Friday FEBRUARY 9: Singing for Mrs Pettigrew exam (from the first story up to What does it feel like?). 30% min. correct to pass the term. 10% of the total mark of the term. 

-Tuesday FEB. 13: Reading and Writing exam (20% of the total mark) remember you don´t have to study for it.

-Wednesday FEBRUARY 14: Literature exam (20% of the total mark of the term). Contents:
        -The Wife of Bath, The Pardoner´s Tale (from The Canterbury Tales): characters, plot.
        -The Renaissance. "The Impacts of Renaissance"+ 3-page worksheet.
        -Shakespeare. Contents covered until that moment: Life&work, The Globe. Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet.
         -Important: 30% min. correct to pass the term!


-Tuesday FEB. 20: Listening exam (10%).


 -Friday FEBRUARY 23: Exam of Grammar and Vocabulary (cumulative, from unit 1 to the one we reach, 20% of the total mark)


-Don´t forget that the Speaking mark (10% of the total mark) will be obtained from your participation in the Literary Circles.


4ºD 

-Monday JANUARY 29: Writing exam (FCE model). One composition to choose between a report and a formal letter. (The term mark for the writing skill -10% of the total mark- will be the average between this exam and the mark of the compositions assigned as homework).


-Monday FEBRUARY 5: Listening exam (FCE model, 10% of the total term mark).


-Monday FEBRUARY 12: Reading exam (FCE parts 5,6,7; 10% of the total term mark).

-Wed FEBRUARY 14: Holes exam. 30% min. correct to pass the term. 10% of the total mark of the term.

-Friday FEB. 23: Literature exam. Contents:
          -Ch. Dickens´ Hard Times (The definition of a horse text)
          -E. Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Plot, characters, Romantic features.
          -American realism. Mark Twain and The adventures of Tom Sawyer.
          -Britain in the first half of the 20th century.
          -Modernism: new ideas in art, architecture and literature.

Don´t forget: 30% min. correct to pass the term. 20% of the total mark of the term.

-Tuesday FEB. 27: Grammar and vocabulary exam (cumulative). 20% of the total term mark.

Don´t forget that the Speaking mark (10% of the total mark) will be obtained from your participation in the Literary Circles.
         

Stratford-upon-Avon video (3ºB,C)

For sthe students in the snow trip, this is the video about Stratford you missed. Do the quiz I gave you and ask me any doubts:

Tom Sawyer (4ºD)

Here is the audio book of Tom Sawyer. Listen and read the first two chapters (yes, the second also), and do the activities in the worksheet for next Wednesday.

Interested in a brief history of steamboats? Have a look at this video (less than 3 min. long):

2nd term project (B1B/C)

Task:

1.Design a 5-day trip to an area in the United Kingdom (A Foreigner in Britain can help you to choose it). You have to create a brochure or a powerpoint presentation with your daily plan including the activities to carry out during the 5-day trip.

2.Give an oral presentation describing your trip. Use your brochure/powerpoint presentation as a guide.

Process:

You’re going to work in groups of 3-4 students.I want the list with the groups as soon as possible (that is, next Monday 22). If you can´t organize yourselves, I´ll decide the groups! 

1) First of all decide all together your route. 

2) Then student 1 will organize the aspects related to transport.

3) Student 2  will find accommodation 

4) Student 3 will make a sightseeing tour

5) Now calculate the budget working all together.

6) Put all the information together to produce a brochure or powerpoint presentation (10 pages or slides min.).

7) Give each of the other groups a paper copy of your brochure (not necessary if it is a powerpoint document) and present your trip plan in front of the class.

8) Group discussion. Which is the best trip plan and why?

Deadlines:

-The deadline is February 26 (Monday). That day you must hand in your brochure to me. If you have prepared a powerpoint presentation, you must send it to me in an email by Friday 23. The oral presentations will begin on Feb.26. The order will be decided at random.

 
Assessment:

The activity will account for 1.5 points (included in your speaking mark, the final speaking mark will be the average between the mark obtained in this activity and the mark for your participation in the Literary Circles about A Foreigner in Britain).

-Half a point will go for the brochure or powerpoint presentation, so that mark will be shared by the members of the group. It must have a minimum of 10 pages/slides plus a cover page. Include a map of the country with the route you have chosen so that we can follow your presentation. You can´t copy and paste texts from the internet (and I´ll notice that!), elaborate the information using your own words. Don´t include long texts in the slides. If you have prepared a brochure, make six copies of it to hand out in the class. These aspects will be assessed:
1.Organization, (layout,map with the route, are all requirements covered?).
2.Appearance (pictures chosen, videos, ICT use). 
3.Contents (are they interesting?, are texts elaborated enough or just copied and pasted?).

-One point will go for the oral presentation of each member of the group, that mark will be individual. Each person in the group must speak at least for 2 minutes (I´ll use the same rubric as for the 1st term presentations). Remember you can´t read!

Ready to travel?

FCE writing (4ºD)

Some very good tips and examples of the different types of FCE writing exercises can be found in this website. Don´t miss it!

A Foreigner in Britain reading plan (B1B/C)

So this is the reading plan for the second term book. On the following dates you have to bring prepared the chapters below. The idea is to hold then Literary Circles with the Language assistant (if we have one) and me.

Jan 22: prologue and chapters 1 to 4.
Feb 5: ch. 5 to 7
Feb 19: ch 8 to the end.

(the book exam will be on Feb 22).

What is a Literary Circle? It is a discussion about the chapters assigned, based on three different aspects:
-Vocabulary: Pick 5 words (difficult ones please) and explain the meaning of them in English.
-A summary of the events happening in the story.
-Your opinion about the topics discussed.

Your participation will be taken into account for your speaking mark.

I think this activity is a much better way to deal with a book than what we have done in the first term with The Prisoner of Zenda (written quizzes and that´s all) but it´s essential that you prepare previously the chapters assigned for that Literary Circle because if not it won´t work! 

FCE & PET practice (4ºD)

Click on these links to practise on line the "Reading and Use of English" section in the FCE exam:

-Part 1 (Multiple Choice Cloze)
-Link 1 
-Link 2
-Link 3
-Link 4
-Link 5

-Part 2 (Open Cloze)
-Link 1 
-Link 2
-Link 3
-Link 4

-Part 3 (Word Formation) 
-Link 1
-Link 2
-Link 3
-Link 4
-Link 5
-Link 6


-Part 4 (Key Word Transformation) 
-Link 1
-Link 2
-Link 3
-Link 4
-Link 5

More practice here (including now the Reading part):

-FCE Reading and Use of English:  part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7

-PET :
(reading)
(writing) 

Gender violence

Watch this video and explain what you can see in it:

Check out also this link.

Now listen to this poem ("No te rindas") by Mario Benedetti. Can you find a relation to this issue?

Singing for Mrs Pettigrew Literay Circles plan (3ºB, 3ºC)

Below you can find a list with the Literary circles dates (on Thursdays).  On Mondays you have to hand in the Literary Circle worksheet of the story/stories whose LC is scheduled for the following Thursday. You can find info on what a literary circle worksheet should include HERE. I highly recommend reading the introduction by the author to each story, but the LC (and the LC worksheet) will only deal with the story itself. 

December 14: MEETING CEZANNE 

Dec. 21:  I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS

January 11: THE GIANT´S NECKLACE

Jan. 18: MY ONE AND ONLY GREAT ESCAPE
Jan. 25: MY FATHER IS A POLAR BEAR + THE SILVER SWAN

February 1: THE MOZART QUESTION 

Feb. 8: WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE? 

Feb. 22: HALF A MAN + FOR CARLOS, A LETTER FROM YOUR FATHER 

March 1: SINGING FOR MRS PETTIGREW

Gattaca essay (4ºD, B1B/C)

After watching Gattaca in Tutoría classes (and English), it´s time to work out an essay on it. It should be longer than the usual composition (no less than 250 words) and include the following points:

1. Character analysis: Description of the most important characters (Vincent, Jerome, Anton, Irene): their motivations, their evolution in the film, their strengths and weaknesses, etc.
2. A plot overview. Have a look at this quiz, it can help you to make up your summary.
3. Quote interpretation. (As usual, explain what is going on at this point of the plot and who is speaking or mentioned). Choose three of these:

a-"You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back".

b-"I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body. You lent me your dream".

c-" -How the hell did you get up here?

    -Oh, I could always walk... I've been faking it".

d-"They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don't say that anymore".

e-"Unacceptable risk of heart failure." I think that's what the manual says. The only trip I'll take in space is around the sun on this satellite right here". 

f-" -What are you doing here, Anton?

    -I should ask *you* that question. I have a right to be here. You don't.

    -Heh! You almost sound as if you believe that. I committed no murder. You must be disappointed.

     -You've committed *fraud*. Listen, you're in a lot of trouble. I can get you out of here...

     -Do you have any idea what it took to get IN here?"

g-"Jerome Morrow was never meant to be one step down on the podium".

4. What is the moral of this story? What have you learned from it? 

Deadline to turn in your essay: December 18. 

Holes Literary circles plan (4ºD)

The literary circles will take place on Thursdays (except for the last one that will be on a Tuesday) following this plan. On the previous Tuesday please hand in the LC worksheet for me to check:

Nov. 30: chapters 1-6 (literary workshop: no LC worksheet needed)

Dec. 14: chapters 7-10

Dec 21: ch.11-16

Jan 11: ch. 17-23

Jan. 18: ch. 24-29

Jan. 25: ch. 30-34

Feb. 1: ch. 35-40

Feb. 8: ch. 41-45

Feb. 13 (Tue): ch. 46-end (literary workshop:no LC worksheet needed)