Listening practice: Helen Keller

Possibly, you have not heard of Helen Keller, a girl that could not see, hear or speak. 

By clicking on the pucture of young Helen, you will link to a scene from a movie on how she turned from a very wild and suffereing child into an able, loving and happy girl, thanks to the unwavering faith of her teacher, Anne Sullivan.

Now, you have a link to a cartoon explaining her story.

Finally, you can learn about Anne Sullivan and Hellen Keller's method.

I hope the story inspires you. With will power and perseverance almost everything can be achieved!

B1B Welcome & Top 10 amazing bridges activity

 San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, Vizcaya

                                                       

                                                                 Welcome to B1B class

You are about to start a new stage of your school life, a stage that will open up new possibilities both in your education and in your personal developement as responsible and mature citizens.

It won't be easy. This stage demands from you commitment and resolution.

But, hopefully, your determination and hard work will also bring you self-satisfaction and a very pleasing sense of achievement.

I do hope this school year unfolds smoothly for everyone, students and teachers alike, we all enjoy good health and work together doing our best. LET'S GO FOR IT!

Top 10 amazing bridges

The first activity this year is watching a clip that shows some of the most amazing bridges in the world.

The class will be spilt in three groups. Make sure you know which group you belong to.

You are going to watch the documentary twice. The first time, you should focus on the task allocated to your group here. 

If you have managed to find all the info required to your group after the first listening, then try to complete as much as possible of the tasks for one of / the other two groups.

E1B Homework-'Hopeful'

Click on the picture below and watch the clip form 2014 Britain's Got Talent performance by two amazing teenage singers.

I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I do everytime I watch it. Now, answer the questions in your notebook.

1 What is Leondre's father's job?
2 Who is a business man in Charlie's family?
3 Who wrote the song?
4 What is the song about?
5 What does 'emotional turmoil' mean?
6 What did Leondre start doing when he felt down?
7 Do you think that standing up to bullies may be positive? Why/ Why not?
8 What happened the first time the two boys met?
9 What has been a positive outcome of facing up bullying for Leondre?
10 Alicia says 'The minute you started that verse it actually...'

One last thing. Can you complete the missing words?

Hopeful

Bars and Melody

Please help me God, I feel so alone
I'm just a kid, I can't take it on my own
I've cried too many tears, yeah, writing this song
Trying to (1)_____  ____, where do I belong?
I wake up every day, don't want to leave my home
My momma's askin' me why I'm always alone
Too scared to say, too scared to holler
I'm walking to school, with (2)________ around my collar
I'm just a kid, I don't want no stress
My nerves are bad, my life's (3)__ _______
The names you call me, they hurt real bad
I want to tell my Mom
But she's havin' trouble with my Dad
I feel so trapped there's (4)_______ to turn
Come to school, don't wanna fight I wanna learn
So please mister bully, tell me what I've done
You know I have no Dad, I'm livin' with my Mom


Just be hopeful, yes I am
Hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it (5)______ ____ ______
And be hopeful, hopeful
And he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
Just be hopeful

Why do you trip at the color (6)____ ____ _____?
On whether I'm fat or whether I'm thin?
You call me a loser, you call me a fool
I ain't got a choice, I gotta go to school
I (7)______ __ _____an angel to stand by my side
I'm shaking with fear, I’m so scared inside
Doesn't really matter if I ain't got the looks
Why do you always hurt me and destroy my books?


Just be hopeful, yes I am
Hopeful for today
Take this music and use it
Let it ...
And be hopeful, hopeful
And he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay
Just be hopeful


I give you all my money (8)_______ ______ _____
I didn't ask to be born but now I have to pay
I ain't got no food, you take (9)_____ __ _____
When I give it to you, you search through my bags
I wrote this song for you to see
We (10)_______ ____ _____friends, yeah you and me
Mister bully take a moment please
Every single day you bring me to my knees

Listening strategies & resources

Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult task for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. Some questions as to how you can improve this skill may arise.
   
         *What can I do to improve my listening skills?

Well, there's only one way: to listen as often as possible.
   
         *Where can I find listening resources?

The Internet really comes in handy as a source of oral texts in English. You can watch your favourite series and movies. Also, very interesting documentaries, TV interviews with celebrities or your favourite English-speaking youtubers. You can listen to radio programmes (the BBC, 'All Things Considered' -on NPR), you can listen to songs, to TED talks...the list of resources is nearly endless. Even if you do not understand everything, listening to 'real' English can help you improve your vocabulary and pronunciation and help you grasp the rhythm of the foreign language.

You can also find oral texts in TEFL  (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) web pages. Here you are just a few - click on the pic and choose a topic.

       

 
     * Are there any strategies I can use to improve my listening skills?

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated by your limited comprehension. Here are some strategies to help you gradually increase your confidence:

          - accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything: even though you may miss most of the speech or conversation, you will understand keywords and key phrases and be able to understand important elements of language such as the context (is it a formal or informal conversation? does it happen in a shop, in the street? is it a job interview?), the topic (a business trip, a quarrel with a sibling...) or the relationship between the speakers (mother and daughter, friends, boss and employer...)

          - stay relaxed, even if you continue to have trouble understanding for a while: one of the advantages of using the Internet to improve your listening skills is that you can choose what you would like to listen to and how many times you would like to listen to it. Besides, repetition is a common feature of speech so it is very likely that the speaker or speakers will repeat the information and you will have a second or even third chance to understand what is being said.

          - do not translate into Spanish: by remaining calm and not translating while listening, your brain is free to concentrate on the most important thing: understanding English in English.

          - listen for the gist -the general idea of the conversation/speech: understanding the main idea will help you to understand the detail as the person continues to speak.

                                         -----------------------------------------------------

NOW that you know the tips to develop your listening strategies and where to find listening resources, START LISTENING

        *set small and measurable goals

        *stay positive and celebrate your improvement

Binge-watching

Would you like to go over Cat's presentation for vocab study or just for fun? Well, you know what to do.

(By courtesy of Catherine Thomson)

And the texts on the pros and cons of binge-watching. 

Script writing

Watch the opening scene of "It".

Now click below and read the script of the movie.

'The Witches', by Roald Dahl

Click to listen to a scary Halloween story.
List as many verbs you hear as you can.

The witches in the pic below are not old, ugly, hook-nosed women, as traditional folk tales usually portray them. Discover how British writer Roald Dahl depicted witches in his novel "The Witches".
Just at one click you'll find your mid-term reading assignment. I hope you'll enjoy it! 😉

A poem for two voices 2

Watch the clip and then write in your notebook three things the kids do to better express meaning.

A poem for two voices

: A Poem for Two Voices from Loide Marwanga on Vimeo.

Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Commonwealth 2

Yes, as Atakan reminded us in class today, there was a war between Britain and Turkey, known as the Anglo Turkish War, between 1807 and 1809. As you can see in the image, there were soldiers fighting for Britan  from different Commonwealth nations.

You can watch again the first clip on the British Empire.

And the next clip on the British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Commonwealth 1

If you click on the clip below, you can watch again some of the countries that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations and other countries that belonged to the British Empire in the past.

If you click on the picture below, you will open the Commonwealth official website for young people. Click on each of the icons -the amplifying glass, the smiling face, the open book, the trophy, the diagram and the flag- to learn interesting things about this association of countries. Also click on the different Dig Deeper tabs.
If you visit any of the countries in this association, you will need to use English to communicate, as it is the official language, or one of the official languages in all Commonwealth countries.

This is your homework for the whole week. We will do the quiz in class on Friday, 23rd Feb.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

If you click on the picture below, you can watch some more pictures taken in Ireland and England... 

             (just click on the first one) 

...and two prehistoric monuments: Newgrange, an impressive mound that covers a single tomb, in Ireland, and Stonehenge, a ring of megaliths and an icon of British culture, in Wiltshire, England, Here there are, at one click.

The next picture shows a sculpture of London-based artist Anish Kapoor.
If you visit the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao you will see Tall Tree and the Eye, one of his most acclaimed works. You can also google 'Tall Tree and the Eye Guggenheim Bilbao" to watch pictures of it.
Click on this one to learn some interesting facts about Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

Finally, you can watch again Rachael Walley's Power Point presentation on the UK, which, as you already know, is the shortened way to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The picture below is of the graffiti mural of another Londoner, songwriter and singer David Bowie, painted after his death by an Australian artist. This mural can be seen opposite the tube station in Brixton, the London borough where Bowie was born.
Just click on it. I'm sure you'll be ready for the test on the UK next week!!!

Gulliver's Travels 2

Click on the pic of Gulliver's Travels front pages and watch the clip with some trivia about the book and the author.

Gulliver's Travels

What's the country in the clip called?

Metaphores and similes

Watch the clip and try to remember as many metaphores and similes as possible.

Irregular Verbs Rap

Learn some irregular verbs and keep the rhythm.

Oral presentations

Watch the clip, preferably without the aid of subtitles, and try to remember three tips you are given.