These days...

Hi! Did you like These Days? Do you want to hear it again? Click on the picture and you'll see a fabulous video of a live performance.




Now a few exercises on will and be going to. I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3

And, of course, a quote by someone you probably know:
I won't change anything because I think the most important thing is being yourself, and that's what I'm going to continue to do.

Avril Lavigne (Canadian singer)

See you on Thursday and good luck with your performance on stage!

Then and now

Hi kids! Guess who this lovely baby was? He was a cute baby, he liked being with mom and dad, and he liked to be loved and well cared for. He smiled quite a lot and his favourite activity was playing with his brothers and having naps next to his mom. He was a bit fatty, his eyes were big and dark, and he spent a lot of his time travelling with his family.
Time passed and the baby became a boy. He started learning English, playing the guitar and doing taekwondo. He didn't do very well at school, so now and then his parents got angry with him. The moment he decided he wanted to become a teacher of English, his grades improved. He went to university, and he met a lot of interesting people there. Then he came across full contact, and he also liked it! 
Now he is still a bit fatty (not that fat!) and he doesn't have so much hair as he used to a few years ago. His favourite hobbies are travelling and he still plays the guitar. But he no longer does extreme sport!
Who was he?

You're so clever that I'm sure you guessed correctly!
See you tomorrow in class. Don't forget your Then and now projects.

Still haven't found...

Hi kids! First of all, a few exercises on present perfect simple. They are easy!

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3

 Can you understand this cartoon?

And this is the song we listened to in class. It was written and performed by U2, and it's got some wonderful lyrics. Try listening to it with and without subtitles (first without!)

• Without subtitles
• With subtitles

And now, something said long ago:

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.

Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)

CU!

Work experience placements

Hi guys! Interesting Corey's talk about his work experience in Canada, wasn't it? I also liked hearing you talk about the jobs you would take if you were given the chance. Here's a link to a website which offers placements for students. And here are a few cartoons on this topic.





















See you tomorrow in class!

Asteroids and comets

Hi kids! Today you're on strike, so I had time to update the blog. Click on the picture and you'll learn some more facts on asteroids and comets in an easy language (no exercises this time!)

Well, ok, I guess you want a few more exercises on subject / object questions. All right, here you are:

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3

These three are very easy. I expect you'll do well. And now, another quote:

Who cares about the clouds when we're together? Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather. Dale Evans, American singer (1912-2001)

See you tomorrow.

Subject/object questions

Hi kids. To start with, a new quote:
What makes the engine go? Desire, desire, desire

Stanley Kunitz, American poet (O Magazine, September 2003)

Now, let's learn a bit about JOBS (just click on the picture -funny, isn't it?),

and try a few exercises on subject / object questions (if you click here you'll be directed to a page which gives further explanation on this topic):

1. this one involves translation
2. this you may find a bit long, but interesting!
3. and this one, which is a bit more challenging.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you on Monday

HOAX!

Hi there! What's a hoax? If you click on the image you'll learn a little more about hoaxes.


Last Friday you proved how good at telling the truth (or lies) you can be. Some of your stories were really good and imaginative. By the way, the story about my grandfather and the lion is absolutely true!
If you click on the picture you'll see a website where you'll learn about some of the world's best known hoaxes. Once you are in the site, click on the photograph.









And now, a few exercises on past simple and past continuous:
* Exercise 1
* Exercise 2
* Exercise 3
* Exercise 4

This is the song we were going to listen to in class. Hopefully you'll be luckier at home than at school! Click on the image of John Lennon and you'll be able to listen to it and read the lyrics at the same time



 Try and enjoy yourselves! And now a funny and witty cartoon

 C U in class tomorrow..

Once upon a time, there used to be...

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Peter de Vries (1910 – 1993), American editor and novelist known for his satiric wit

Do you agree? Too nostalgic? What about this one?

I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had, but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.

James Thurber  (1894 - 1961) US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist 

Poor old man! What about this cartoon?

Now, a little task for you. Do these "USED TO" exercises in your free time. Sure you'll enjoy them.  Here's the link. 

Have a nice weekend and see you on monday!

In the beginning...

Hi! Every week I'll suggest a quotation on a topic we are dealing with in class, or which is relevant to us for some reason or another. These days we are beginning a new year. How do like this one?:

In the beginning there was nothing. God said, 'Let there be light!' And there was light. There was still nothing, but you could see it a whole lot better.

Ellen DeGeneres (attributed)
US comedian and actress

Clever, isn't it? If any of you finds a good one, you can send it as a comment.
And now, a song in which Christina Aguilera describes herself in a very positive way. And another one by Rod Stewart in which he uses the present continuous quite a lot. Listen and enjoy yourselves!

Now a few exercises on present simple and present continuous:
- Exercise 1
- Exercise 2 (present progressive = present continuous. Some instructions are given in German, but I'm sure you'll manage!)
Pay attention to spelling and check your answers once you've finished.

And last, listen to this song and read the lyrics. It's genuine food for thought! 
C U in class!

Hello and welcome!

Hi kids! I've started this blog for you. I hope it will be a useful tool for you as well as a means of communication. Here you'll find exercises, videos and articles that I think you may find interesting. I'll try to update it and insert new contents every week, so check it from time to time, please!
To start with, here are a couple of videos:
- In this video you'll find people greeting and introducing themselves.
- In this video you'll listen to people describing other people. If you'd rather listen to it with subtitles click here.

And the song by Suzanne Vega. Click on the picture and listen!

 

See you in class!