BOXING DAY!

26th December is Boxing Day. How much do you know about it? Here you have an MP3 recording and some exercises on this special day in the UK.

Listening
Exercises

MERRY XMAS!

It's Christmas Day! Merry Christmas! Let's celebrate it with some beautiful Christmas adverts that British people could enjoy this season in the UK.

John Lewis: Man on the Moon
This is the story of a young girl called Lily. Looking at the moon through the family telescope one night, she's amazed at what she finds... a man on the moon.

Sainbury's: Mog Christmas Calamity

Harrods: Once Upon a Christmas

M&S

Santa is coming...

Hello again,
Are you ready for tonight? Yes! Santa is coming!!!!

Have you sent your letter to Santa?

Today, we want to tell you about letters to Santa. We are sure you've alread written yours ans so have many British celebrities.

You can read all the letters in the  Letters Live website.

This is the letter that wrote Benedict Cumberbatch to Santa. He asks him "A little more time for those children to be children." What do you ask Santa for?

How much do you know about Santa?

Today's challenge is a knowledge quiz. How much do you know about Santa? Click on the image to do it.

Let's play and revise some Christmas vocabulary

Fancy playing and revising vocabulary? This is today's challenge. Enjoy it!
Memory Game
Christmas quiz

Some history today

Why do we decorate Xmas trees? 
What did pines decorated with apples represented?
Where does this tradition come from?
Who made the Christmas tree popular in Britain?
Feeling curious?

1st QUIZ

Are you ready for the challenge? We thought it would be a good idea to start with a Xmas song, but a traditional one.
This is a song by Coldplay. Can you complete the quiz?

Let's start the celebrations!

Hello everyone!
We know you are enjoy your deserved Xmas holidays. This year we want to challenge you. We will leave a quiz everyday. It can either be a song, a text, a video or an interactive game.
We hope you take on this challenge!

How to have a British Christmas

This week we have been learning bout sme differneces between British English and American English. We'll go back to them in January when the second term begins.

Since Christmas is coming, we want to share with you video on how to have a British Christmas. Where do British kids hang their stockings? What do they do with their letters to Father Christmas? Do you write to Father Christmas or to Santa?

LOOKING FOR EXTRA READING PRACTICE?

Dreamreader.net is a website created by two EFL instructors with over 20 years of combined experience in the field of language education.  Several years ago, they noticed that there were few sites on the web that freely provided a comprehensive graduated approach to English reading suited to different levels of English ability.  As a result, they decided to create their own website with freely available reading materials for all English language learners and teachers!

There is no excuse for not practising and learning about very interesting topics! Click on the image to access the website!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! ARE YOU READY?

Yes! Christmas is coming! Are you ready? Have you done your Christmas shopping? Haven't you had time yet? Watch this video to see how a shop is getting ready for Christmas. 

Christmas shopping exercises

Christmas shopping transcript

Christmas shopping answers

TERM TESTS ARE ARRIVING!

Term test are arriving! YES! But don't panic and start revising. Here you have some useful videos and links with some practice.

Present simple v. Present continuous

This is Anna and she is contrasting both tenses. I hope you find this video useful. Then, you can try yourself with some practice on the links below.

Present simple and continuous: Practice

Present simple and continuous: more practice

Present Continuous

Sophie is working in Cairo this week. Oliver, Alfie and Daisy are working hard for their end-of-year exams. Click on the imgae to watch the video and then on the link below for extra pratice.

Present continuous: exercises

Adverbs of frequency

Oliver and Alfie are at home when Daisy and Amy arrive. Sophie is in Hammerfest in northern Norway.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Adverbs of frequency: reordering

Adverbs of frequency: grouping

Adverbs of frequency: exercises

WORLD AIDS DAY

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

30 years after the first cases of HIV – the red ribbon is the universal symbol of awareness and support for those living with HIV. The red ribbon was the first ever ribbon symbol, inspiring later versions such as the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness.

If you want to find out where the idea for the red ribbon came from and more facts about his day celebrated all over the world, click on the image above.

(source: http://www.worldaidsday.org)

SAINT ANDREW'S DAY

November 30th is celebrated across Scotland as Saint Andrew’s Day and is also a national holiday in Scotland. Despite having never stepped foot in Scotland while alive, Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland as well as of Greece, Romania, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Saint Andrew, Barbados!

According to the Christian religion, Saint Andrew, whose name means ‘strong,’ was originally a Galilean fisherman and one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ. He was the brother of Saint Peter, the founder of the Christian Church and spent many years preaching the Gospel. When he died, his relics were sailed across the sea from Greece and buried in Scotland, in a town now called Saint Andrew’s. The Scottish flag is even inspired by Saint Andrew and is called the Saint Andrew’s Cross.

On Saint Andrew’s Day schools across Scotland hold special events to celebrate, such as meals, singing, dances, storytelling and Scottish poetry readings. The day is often celebrated with family and friends with traditional Scottish food (like ‘haggis, neeps and tatties’ – which is a dish of haggis, turnips and potatoes) and traditional Scottish music such as the bagpipes or the clarsach (which is a small harp). People also host ceilidhs which are Scottish country dances which often go on late into the night.

Saint Andrew’s Day is a significant part of Scottish culture and over the years has become a part of Scotland’s identity.

Source: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/magazine/life-around-world/saint-andrews-day

On its way to Russia again!

Yes! We received the travelling notebook from Gran Canaria two weeks ago, and we were so excited that we couldn't wait to contribute to it.
They wrote about themselves, so we decided to write about ourselves. We hope they like when it returns to them in May.
This is our contribution on its way to Russia!

POPPY DAY or REMEMBANCE DAY

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One.

At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. Since then, he second Sunday of November is Remembrance Sunday, but what does it all mean? 

This video with Charlie Brown and his friends tells us the history behind Poppy Day or Remembrance Day.

At 11am men, women and children all across Britain hold a two minute silence to remember the millions who have died in war. On a day like that the Queen  and the Royal Family, along with top politicians and religious leaders, gather at The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, for a service.

Wreaths of poppies are laid beside war memorials by companies, clubs and societies. People also leave small wooden crosses by the memorials in remembrance of a family member who died in war.

You can find all the information about this special date in the Powerpoint presentation below made by your teacher Mary.

In 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators plotted to assassinate King James I of England (and VI of Scotland) by blowing up the House of Lords during the opening of parliament.

They hid kegs full of gunpowder (barriles de pólvora) in the cellars beneath the chamber where the king and the rest of the political elite would assemble. Enough powder was stored to completely destroy the building and kill everyone present.

One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was tasked with igniting this huge bomb. It is Fawkes' effigy that is still burned on 5 November bonfires to this day.

Watch the following dramatised video to understand the plot better.

To find out more about this celebration click here and if you want to try yourself and see how much you know about Guy Fawkes and his attempt to blow the Parliament, click here and try this quiz.

You can also have a look at the comic strips your schoolmates from 6th grade have created on this special date.

FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

Halloween is round the corner but there's another celebration before, Frankenstein Friday! Frankenstein Friday celebrates the birth of Frankenstein and its creator.

National Frankenstein Friday was created in 1997 by Ron MacCloskey of Westfield, New Jersey.  It is said that Ron choose Friday as the date of celebration because of the “FR” connection in FRiday and FRankenstein.

OUR TRAVELLING NOTEBOOK

This year we are participating in a new project which will take us and Ourense to various countries in the world. It's a Travelling Notebook.
What is a travelling notebook?
Well, it's a notebook which travels. There are six schools taking part in this chain:

• IES César Manrique (Lanzarote, Spain)
• IES Guía (Gran Canaria, Spain)
• CPR Padre Feijoo Zorelle (Ourense, Spain)
• Ulyanovsk school № 76 (Uljanovsk, Russia)
• Sekolah Menengah Ayer Puteh (Malaysia)
• Zhoushan Senior High School (Zhejiang, China)

Our travelling notebook will travel to Russia. Every time we receive a notebook, we will write on it and send it to Russia. From Russia it will travel Malaysia. From Malaysia it will fly to China and from China to Spain, to the Canary Islands, before coming back to us after being travelling for 8 months.

2º ESO A have been working hard and with enthusiasm on their travelling notebook for this year. They had to do some research on Ourense, the festivals we celebrate in our province and our school too.

The notebook is already on its way to Russia! But, if you feel curious, you can have a look at it below!

If you want to find out more about the schools taking part in this project and their travelling notebooks, don't miss the project's blog: http://palabrasdamanaocorazon.blogspot.com.es/

HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY UNITED NATIONS!

United Nations Day commemorates the founding of the United Nations in 1945. United Nations Day is held on the 24th October every year. It is not a public holiday but an international awareness day.

The United Nations was founded on 24th October 1945 by 51 countries. Today, there are 193 member countries. It is a bit like a World Government.

The United Nations was founded following the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco in June 1945. 

In the following podcast recorded by Elisa youwill find out more about this world organisation. We hope you like.

THE FUTURE IS HERE

Today, 21 October 2015 is Back to the Future Day.

It's the exact date that Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrive in the future, in the second 'Back to the Future' film, released in 1989.

The movie imagined a 2015 with hoverboards, flying cars, and self-tying shoes.

How do you imagine life in thirty years' time?

O CONXURO DA QUEIMADA

As part of the project you already know about, Postcrossing - From Ourense to the World, Gema and Miranda (2º ESO A) have recorded a new podcast with the spell we usually read when we prepare "A Queimada".

It's recorded in English and Galician.

We hope you like it!

WORLD TEACHER'S DAY

The UNESCO identifies the World Teachers' Day as an opportunity to commemorate teacher's organizations worldwide and also aims to activate support for teachers and to ensure that teachers continue to supply to the global framework of needs and requirements conducive in building a well-founded footing to a sound and greatly enabled future generation.

Following the adoption of the "Recommendation concerning the status of teachers" in 1994 by the UNESCO 5th October has been officially recognized as World Teachers' Day. Earlier to this Teachers' Day has been celebrated variously in countries around the world. In most countries Teachers' Day marks the contribution of any famed educator of person of educational repute.

The truth is that, like it or not, teacher are very important persons in our life. We will always remember them. They can even change our life. Have you ever thought how? Watch the video below and let us!

FROM OURENSE TO THE WORLD!

Live from Padre Feijoo Zorelle is back!  And… we are  happy to start this school year telling you about a thrilling project we will be working on this year. It’s called From Ourense to the world.

Most of you already know what postcrossing is, but you can listen to the podcast below recorded by Noelia and Raquel about this new project! Remember to visit the project's blog clicking here.

2015 RUGBY WORLD CUP

The 2015 Rugby World Cup is the eighth Rugby World Cup. The tournament is currently being hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Twickenham Stadium in London will host the final.

England was chosen to host the competition in July 2009, beating rival bids from Italy, Japan and South Africa. The competition's organisers, Rugby World Cup Limited, had recommended England to the International Rugby Board (IRB; now known as World Rugby).

Of the 20 teams competing at the 2015 World Cup, 12 of them qualified by finishing in the top three places in their pools in the 2011 World Cup. The other eight teams qualified through regional competition. Of the 20 countries that competed in the previous World Cup in 2011, there was only one change – Uruguay replaced Russia.

Now, what about practising you rlistening skills? Click on the image below to do a listening exercise on rugby.

Welcome back!

Hi everyone and welcome to another exciting school year full of new projects and thrilling events!
We hope you have enjoyed your holidays and

THE BIG CHALLENGE: THE RESULTS

Once again, our school took part  in the contest about English and English speaking countries, The Big Challenge, for students between the ages of 11 and 16. It is held every year in May in schools across France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Sweden.

This year, over 563,000 students from 5,450 schools participated in The Big Challenge. Created in France in 1999 by a group of English teachers, its main purpose is to motivate students learning languages with an educational yet fun experience. 

Our students have done really well, so CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Here you have some photos of the students and  their prizes.

WORLD OCEANS DAY

The theme for this year is Healthy oceans, healthy planet. 
World Oceans Day, held every June 8th, is the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. People all over our blue planet organize celebrations to support action to protect the ocean. This year, the theme is Healthy oceans, healthy planet, and we’re making a special effort to stop plastic pollution.

The ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. The ocean regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces oxygen, is the home to an incredible array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and so  much more! 

What's the most beautiful word in English?

Daniel Dalton, who works for www.buzzfeed.com, asked Twitter for their favourite words in English. Here are some of the suggestions, a total of 32. What's your favourite?

If you are not sure how to pronounce them remember to use http://www.howjsay.com/

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Every June 5th is a day used by the United Nations to stimulate worldwide awareness of environmental issues.

World Environment Day began in 1972 as a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.

More than 100 countries are taking part in special events across the world on Sunday to mark World Environment Day.

Representatives from 50 cities around the world will also meet in the San Francisco to discuss how to make cities greener places to live in. The UN reckon that 60% of people will live in cities by 2030.

What can we do to stop global warming?

There are ways you can help cut greenhouse gases and help stop global warming. They are simple things, but can make a difference if everyone does them!

• Re-cycle glass bottles, jars, newspapers and magazines and tin cans. 

• Re-use plastic shopping bags and envelopes.

• Don't leave the TV or video on standby.

• Switch lights off when you're not in the room

• Cycle to places!

• Have showers instead of baths.

This is our TWIN SCHOOL in Italy!

Hello everyone!

We have received this lovely video from our Twin School in Italy as part of the eTwinning project in which we are involved. We are working together in the Twinspace to create a recipe book which will be finished in September.

What do you think of their school?

Eurovision Song Contest 2015

You all know who represented Spain yesterday, but let us tell you about two groups from two English speaking countries: the UK and Australia. Australia? Yes, we know. Australia isn't part of Europe, but it was invited to take part in the 60th anniversay of this song contest.

A pop duo called Electro Velvet  represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015.

Bianca Nicholas was a contestant on The Voice in 2014 but none of the judges turned around for her. Alex Larke usually performs as a tribute act to rock legend Mick Jagger.

Their song is called Still in Love With You and is described as an up-tempo electric swing track. Unfortunately, they finished 24th. Do you like their song?

Guy Sebastian, who is one of Australia’s most popular performers, represented Australia for the first time in the Eurovision Song Contest. The title of his song is Tonight Again. He finished 5th. What do you think of the song?

Victoria Day

While we are back to lessons after a long weekend, Canadians celebrate Victoria Day today. 

Why do they celebrate it? Well, they do it to mark the birth of Queen Victoria.

Victoria, who was queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India, was born in 1819. She was only 18 when she took over the throne in 1837 after her uncle George IV died. A few years later, she married her cousin, Prince Albert. They had nine children together. When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria became very sad and she wore black for the rest of her life. She ruled until her death in 1901, when her son Edward the VII became the King of England.

But, what is Victoria Day?

Canadians celebrate Victoria Day on the Monday before May 24. This year Victoria Day is May 18th.  Victoria Day became a popular holiday in Ontario in 1845 and a national holiday in 1901. During the 1900s, it used to be called Empire Day and then it changed to Commonwealth Day. Now Canadians call it Victoria Day. Victoria Day, or May Long Weekend as it's often called, marks the unofficial start of summer. 

To find out more about this celebration, you can listen to the podcast below recorded by Raquel and Noelia (1ºBac). You will need to know what a Penny Black is. The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year and features a profile of Queen Victoria.