POST 8: MEMORIES

For most people childhood is the happiest time of their lives. Sometimes a smell or a song brings back special moments of our childhood days and we wish we were children again, at least for a day. Today you have decided to write about those nice memories.

Here you have some questions to guide your writing.

-What food/song/smell  brings back childhood memories

-What is your first childhood memory? What happened there, and how old were you at the time?
-What is your most favourite childhood memory?-When and where did you learn to swim/ride a bicycle

-What TV series did you use to watch when you were a child?

-What were your favorite activities outside of school?

Whenever I hear songs by the “Nueva Ola Chilena” I have memories of my childhood days. I remember that I used to love twist  and balads. When I listen to those songs now  I think of my first house, my brothers and sisters when they were children, my mom and dad getting things ready to celebrate Christmas, and me playing games.

Maybe the earliest thing I remember was the 1960 big earthqake. I was only 2 years old when it happened and I remember  I was in the street,  in front of our house,  playing with my brothers and sisters.

My best childhood memories are related to Christmas’ days, especially when I was 4 to 6. The smell of the Christmas tree,  the little toys and ornaments on it, and the gifts were almost magical. Sadly, when I was 6, and had learnt to read, I recognised my father’s handwriting  on the gift card and I knew that Santa Claus didn’t really exist.

I never learnt how to swim when I was a kid because my parents never took me to the sea or the swimming pool, but I learnt how to ride a bicycle when I was around 13. The first tries I usually ended up on the ground!!!

We didn’t have a television when I was a kid, so we had to rely on compassionate neighbours and friends of our family to watch our favourite TV programs.  I used to watch cartoons like The Flinstones, and Walt disney’s characters. My favourite series were “Lost in Space” and “Bewitched”.  However, our parents took us to the cinema almost every weekend. I really enjoyed those afternoons seeing films which I still can clearly remember.

When I finished school, in the afternoons, I used to play with other children on the street . We were more than twenty kids, so it was lovely and a lot of fun, because we had the chance to choose what game we wanted to play. We played things like hide-and-seek,  marbles, tag, the round, hopscotch, Blind man's bluff, cops and robbers,and different ball games, for example, an  adaptation of baseball called “tombo”,  one of my favourite ones.

As you can see my childhood memories are really beautiful and unforgettable.

POST 7: A PHOTOGRAPH THAT I LIKE

Say Cheeeeeeese!

Taking photographs is one of my hobbies and I’m pretty good at it, or so they say. I started to take photos when I was in my twenties with an old analog Zenit camera that someone lent me, so by now I have around ten albums with old prints, plus the photos I have taken with my digital camera. I couldn’t afford a good camera when I was young because they were so expensive, but nowadays they are a lot cheaper. I have had five cameras so far, and the latest is a digital one which allows me to take as many pictures as I want to, so I’m very pleased with it.

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you have a camera? Do you collect printed photos? Are you a photolog freak?
This week you are expected to write about a photograph that you like. Make sure to include the following in your post:

·                     Who took it

·                     What it shows

·                     When it was taken

·                     Why you like it

Don't hesitate to include any other information you think is important.
Write at least 170 words.
Finally, add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs

Please, have a look at my sample post below.

Snap shooting around London.

I took this photo on my last trip to London, in July 2011, when I went to Camdem Town Market Place, which is a large market where you can find lots of things, such as handcraft, clothes, ethnic food, paintings, jewelry, rugs, antichs, -you name it-, therefore there are lots of things worth  a click.

This photo shows a very eclectic shop there, where, as you can see, they sell vintage clothes and  old pieces of furniture, along with some typical English pastries and beverages, and I took it while I was having a nice cup of tea.

I know that this is a rather simple photo, but I like it since it reminds me of the good time that I spent in that city and in that cafe, which is a very special place with a very pleasant atmosphere where they  play music from the 50s to the 70s, and where sometimes one of the owners plays beautiful tunes in the piano.

POST 6: DREAMS

DREAMS

“I have a dream...” This is something I have heard many times in my life: these were the words that Martin Luther King repeated in his famous speech for racial equality back in 1963,  they were the words that Abba used to sing on every radio station when I was a university student, and they are the words people say when they talk about a recurring dream (“I have a dream that repeats over and over  again...” ).

This week you have chosen to talk about both kind of dreams, those you have when you are sleeping and those that come to your mind when you are awake .

Here are some questions to guide you to write your post.

1) What are dreams? Are dreams messages sent from our unconscious, predictions of the future, or what?

2) Do you usually remember your dreams? Do you usually dream in black and white or in color? Can you tell us about a recurring dream you have or the nicest dream that you can remember?

3) Do you ever daydream? Do you think you can achieve your dreams or  do you think that having dreams and aspirations is a waste of time?

4) If you had lots of money or political power what would you do with it?  What is your dream for the future?

Please read my sample post and make sure to leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’  posts and to write 160 words.

http://youtu.be/i3w9HaN-4Us

Dreams, dreams, dreams…

 “I’m dreaming my life away…” went a song that I used to listen to when I was a child. To me dreams are mainly representations of my hopes and fears, and also answers to my questions. So I pay a lot of attention to my dreams.

My dreams are usually very colourful and very well defined, sometimes they are  like short stories or films with characters, costumes, and  a plot. I rarely have black and white dreams, -unless my dream is about a silent movie!

I used to daydream a lot when I was younger, I used to spend hours thinking about the things I wanted to have, the places I wanted to visit, and the things I wanted to do. I think daydreaming is not a bad thing, provided that you start planning and begin doing things to make your dreams come true. The formula “dream + action”  has proved very useful to me.

If I had millions of dollars I would visit more places and buy beautiful things for me and people I love, but I would also help people to refurbish their houses so that they could improve their living conditions and I would run high-quality schools in poverty-striken zones with really committed teachers to help breach the gap between rich and poor people in our country –to begin with.

POST 5: MY FAVOURITE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY

 

My friends and television have been absolutely superseded by my computer! When I was a kid our old TV set was the technologycal device I loved the most and I I used to think that nothing would replace it as a source of entertainment. However, my computer has now turned into my favourite piece of technology to have fun with, to such an extent that I spend more time sitting at my computer than being with my friends or watching TV.

I got my first computer around fifteen years ago and I thought that it was like a magical, miraculous instrument. I just couldn’t believe my eyes: it was able to do complicated things, like counting words, arranging things alphabetically, or copying long texts in  a second or two!  This is the third computer I have had, I bought it some three years ago and I´m very pleased with it.

I usually use my computer to look for information, to find and prepare material for my classes, to watch things on Youtube, to send e-mails, to find out what my friends are up to, and a long etcetera, and I think I’ve been using it on  a daily basis for quite a few years.

I especially like my computer because every time I have a doubt I just google for it and generally find the answer. Consequently, it has helped me solve many problems, like what printer and photographic camera I should buy, how to improve my TV reception, where to find things I need to get, etc.

For all the things I’ve mentioned and many more, I guess my life without my computer would be a lot more complicated and a lot less fun.

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This week's blog assignment is to write about your favourite piece of technology. When writing your post be sure you say the following:

-What it is.

-When you got it.

-How you use it.

-How often you use it.

-Why you like it.

-What life would be like without it

Make sure to write a minimum of 160 words and leave a comment on at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

This time I would like you to include a picture to make your post more appealing.

SESSION 5 / WEB QUEST 1: LONDON

 

Continuous Assessment 2 is the first of two webquests we’ll have this term.

Instructions:

You are going to spend a week in London evaluating tourist locations for an end of year study trip.

Here is a list of things you want to do while you are there.  Follow the links and fill in the table.

Half Day Outings

London Eye

http://www.londoneye.com/

The British Museum

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

The Tower of London

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/ (including Crown Jewels)

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

http://www.madametussauds.com/london/

The Natural History Museum

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

The Tate Modern Art Gallery

http://www.tate.org.uk/

Full day

Kew Gardens

http://www.kew.org/

Camden Market

http://www.camden-market.org/

London Tube Map: 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

For each location say:

What day you will visit,

How much you will have to pay to get in,

Which Tube station you will travel to (nearest to location), and the zone it is in.

What will you do on the other days? (2 full days / 4 half days / 1 full day / 2 half days)

Search the web for other things to do in London.

What is the total cost?

POST 4: ANIMALS AND PETS

Some people are animal lovers, others use and abuse animals. Some people can't live without their pet animals, others raise animals to make a living .  I like pets, but I don´t like the idea of having animal hair all over my home.

 I got my first dog, which I still remember after all these years, when I was around six, and I was very fond of another dog we had when I was a teenager, but, even though I would like to have a dog now, my flat is so small that there´s no room to swing a cat in it, -like they say, let alone a dog!

 I absolutely disagree with animal mistreatment. I think animals can only be used for medical research as long as they are not hurt in any way, and it really upsets me to see what some scientists do to some defendless animals. With regard to keeping animals in zoos, I used to think that that was a reprehensible practice, however I’ve changed my mind now that I know that, in some cases, they have been saved from a certain death and would surely die if they were set free.

 People who have a dog should be responsible owners and take the necessary precautions so it won’t hurt another animal or person. I’ve been bitten by dogs twice and, -believe me, it wasn’t funny at all! The owners of these dogs should have been more careful and known that pets have to be well taught, the way children are.

According to the Chinese astrology I was born under the year of the dog, and if I had to be born again an animal I would probably choose a dog because they are loyal, friendly, intelligent and fun to be around. Do you know what animal you are according to the Chinese Zodiac?

Today you have decided to write about animals, so here you have some questions to help you write your post.

Do you consider yourself an animal lover?
Did you use to have a pet when you were a kid?
Do you have a pet now? If so, tell us about it. If not, would you like to have one?
What animal do you think makes the best pet? Why?
Do you know someone who owns an unusual pet?

How do you feel about the use of animals for medical research?
Do you think it is right to keep wild animals in a zoo?
Do you think people should buy and wear fur coats?

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? (... by a snake)
Do you think dogs should be banned or muzzled?

If you could be an animal, what would you (choose to) be? Why?

KEEP IN MIND:

- Leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts
- The word count for this post is 140 words

  POST 3 Career-Related Website or An Expert on your Field

Since in order to write today’s post you can choose ONE of two options, I have written two sample posts to guide your writing (See below).

Post 1 (Instructions).
Write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting.

You should:
- provide a link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.

Make sure you add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts.
-Word Count: 130

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Post 2 (Instructions)
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Say:
-Who she/he is.(short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
-Include his/her image

> About 130 words
Remember to add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts

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The BBC English learning website.

Whether you’re a student or a teacher, you should visit BBC Learning English. To me,  it’s one of the best sites to look for different kinds of information related to teaching and learning English as a second language.

But it’s not only about learning, it also has lots of articles related to culture. It’s a great site where students can do exercises, read pieces of current news, practice their listening skills, improve their pronunciation, and even have fun playing games, watching videos  or chatting with people from all over the world.

If you are a teacher, you also have lots of options, for example you can download up to date material for your classes, that you can adopt or adapt,  get new ideas to improve your lessons or exchange information with other teachers.

Some of its regular features that I like include, among others,: “Words in the News”, which contains written and video stories; “Express English”, in which people are asked about their opinions on different things -Each week there’s a new topic and the interesting thing is that you can also join the conversation; “Quiznet”, which gives you the chance to increase your vocabulary on different topics; and I also like “6 Minute English”, a short radio programme that helps you improve both your listening comprehension skills and your vocabulary while you learn about an interesting issue.

I like this site because everything in it has been carefully done by very professional people, it’s very user-friendly, so you can find things easily, and everything is interesting and down-to-earth, I mean , it is related to real life.  For all these reasons I visit this site on a regular basis and I strongly reccomend it to you. The address to this website is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/

An expert that I admire

“What a great activity! It’s interesting and fun to do”. This is what I usually say when I see English text books that have been written by Penny Ur.  But Penny is more than an experienced  text book writer, she´s a remarkable English Language Teaching author who has helped teachers develop their teaching skills, that is to say, she teaches teachers to teach.

 I don’t know much about her personal life, all I know is that she is Israeli or American and that she studied at Oxford and Cambridge  Universities.  I also know that she has travelled extensively giving conferences worldwide and has written lots of papers, which are very teacher-friendly, I mean, it’s very easy to understand what she is trying to communicate and her tips are really helpful.

Some of her most prominent books, among others,  are: Five Minute Activities, A Course in Language Teaching , and  Grammar Practice Activities. When I was studying in London I used one of her books, which was called Proficiency in English, if I remember well.

Although her books are more concerned with the teaching of grammar than on improving your communicative  skills, I like her because she is able to teach structures in an interesting and meaningful fashion, which is something that not many writers are able to do. Finally, there are writers concerned with Teaching English as a Foreign Language who have written long, boring and hard to understand papers. Instead, she has written short and clear documents that say more than a million pages.