Hello, brave people! How are you coping with the weather and these crazy temperatures? Today is very windy where I am and I just don’t feel like going out at all, so I thought I could share some ideas with you, since it’s been quite long since my last post.
Recently, I’ve been thinking about this past school year and my students’ worries about their listening performance, so I’m going to take this opportunity to share some websites that I have used and recommended extensively. Here we go:
Hi everyone! First of all, happy New Year to all of you, it’s been a long time since I last created any posts, but you know, working as an English teacher can get really hectic and allow too little time for reflection… So, I have availed this holiday time to update some of my materials and create new ones, which I’d like to share with you. Seguir leyendo
Spring is coming and that time is of the year is just round the corner: not the flowers and the sunny, brighter days, the short sleeves and the beers on a terrace. No, not that, I’m afraid. It’s the panicky times of Certification exams. Oh dear!
It’s the time when students suddenly realize that the exam is in a month or so and they begin to stumble over their grammar notes, vocab lists and all that hedgepodge of useful language for tests.
My students, who are more than used to receiving all sort of summaries from me, have recently asked me to put up some kind of portfolio to help them prepare their speaking exam and I have agreed to do so. So… here you are.
For those of you who are sitting Cambridge PET soon:
I have created a grammar review presentation to help you refresh your grammar contents, based on the textbook I have been using with some of my students in class (Complete PET – Cambridge English).
I really hope you find it useful and please remember to make your comments if you wish. You can also share this post with any of your friends in need to relieve their pain! 😉
Hi guys,
I have used Voicethread, a tool I recently heard about, to prepare a video tutorial to help you with PET picture description (Speaking part 3). I really hope you find it useful.
Hi everyone! I wanted to share something with you: I’ve just created a list of the most common adjectives to describe feelings and emotions, together with their main prepositions. You can have access to this list here.
I have used a learning platform called Quizlet, a practical user-friendly (and free!) online site which provides free study tools for students, teachers, and learners of all ages, which is very useful for vocabulary reinforcement, and highly convenient as an exam preparation tool. I started using it as a student and now I am beginning to use it as a teacher.
Hace unos días regresaba de su primer viaje lingüístico a Inglaterra una nueva versión de mi hija adolescente. Se marchó a primeros de julio y la experiencia ha supuesto un cambio evidente en ella, para bien.
El sábado pasado escuché cómo dos chicas describían a su pareja, y la conversación fue algo así:
Kate: So,tell me, I want to know everything about him, what’s he like?
Tracey: Mmm, let me think. He’s talkative, extrovert, friendly, witty, good fun, kind… and he’s the most generous guy I’ve ever known. He treats me to expensive restaurants and buys me flowers every day! Can you imagine? It’s a dream come true!
Kate: and what does he look like? Seguir leyendo
Hace poco leía un post en Facebook que hablaba sobre cómo detectar a los falsos amigos y facilitaba una serie de pistas, entre ellas cosas como que al falso amigo le gusta criticarte cuando no estás o aparece en los buenos momentos y se esfuma en los malos.
En las lenguas también hay falsos amigos, y me temo que es más difícil detectarlos que a los de carne y hueso. Los false friends son muy traicioneros, ya que parecen reales pero no lo son: se trata de palabras parecidas al español pero que suelen tener un significado muy distinto, cuando no completamente alejado del que nosotros pensamos, y que igual que un falso amigo de carne y hueso, nos pueden hacer quedar muy, pero que muy mal. Seguir leyendo
Verbos Hace unos días se estrenó la peli Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, otra más de superhéroes, si es que mira que nos gustan…: tener superpoderes como volar, curiosear con tu visión de rayos X la casa del vecino a través de las paredes o escuchar conversaciones ajenas sin ser visto… tiene que molar, ¿no? ¡Y no te digo poder salvar el mundo entero de los supermalos que nos acechan!
¿Cuáles son los superpoderes de Superman? He can fly, he can move large vehicles, he can see through walls and metal thanks to his laser vision, he can run faster than a train… Al contrario que su rival en la película, Batman is a superhero without any superpowers; he is is an ordinary person who makes use (to the best that he can) of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, and intimidation in his war on crime. Which means Batman cannot fly, he can’t see through metal and he can’t run faster than any other mortal being. Y nosotros, que como Batman no somos superhéroes, hay cosas que sí podemos y otras que no, dependiendo del contexto…
Teacher Irene: teaching brave students 