BEING A TEACHER....

BEING A TEACHER IS A DIFFICULT TASK NOWADAYS, SO I DECIDED TO FOLLOW THIS PIECE OF ADVICE BY BRUCE LEE:

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

by Bruce Lee

jueves, 30 de mayo de 2013

The origin of the word 'OK'



What is the origin of the word 'OK'?

There have been numerous attempts to explain the emergence of this expression, which seems to have swept into popular use in the US during the mid-19th century. Most of them are pure speculation. It does not seem at all likely, from the linguistic and historical evidence, that it comes from the Scots expression och aye, the Greek ola kala ('it is good'), the Choctaw Indian oke or okeh ('it is so'), the French aux Cayes ('from Cayes', a port in Haiti with a reputation for good rum) or au quai ('to the quay', as supposedly used by French-speaking dockers), or the initials of a railway freight agent called Obediah Kelly who is said to have written them on documents he had checked.
A more likely explanation is that the term originated as an abbreviation of orl korrekt , a jokey misspelling of 'all correct'  which was current in the US in the 1830s. The oldest written references result from its use as a slogan by the Democratic party during the American Presidential election of 1840. Their candidate, President Martin Van Buren, was nicknamed 'Old Kinderhook' (after his birthplace in New York State), and his supporters formed the 'OK Club'. This undoubtedly helped to popularize the term (though it did not get President Van Buren re-elected).
The only other theory with at least a degree of plausibility is that the term originated among Black slaves of West African origin, and represents a word meaning 'all right, yes indeed' in various West African languages. Unfortunately, historical evidence enabling the origin of this expression to be finally and firmly established may be hard to unearth.

Some other interesting articles to read about the issue:

And now what is your personal opinion? Do you know any other story?

Have a look at the comment made by Elena (1º ESO A) as it is most interesting:

OK, O.K. or okay is a fascinating word or abbreviation. Its true origin has gradually been forgotten. It could go back as far as the Romans. It has been suggested that it came from the Latin 'Omnis Korrecta' which means 'all correct'. It was used widely by schoolmasters marking examination papers, but it could also come from the Old English 'Hogfor' meaning 'seaworthy' and pronounce as ''hay gay'' by the vikings.

Its use has been so widely accepted that even the American president Barack Obama used it when speaking to some school children in 2009. He was heard to say, "That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures."

It is interesting to note that in this sentence the word 'ok' means 'don't worry' and one of its most appealing features is that it can mean many different things. It sometimes means 'correct', at other times it can express agreement and it can be used as an exclamation or a question. It even has opposite meanings; the sentence 'It is okay' could mean 'good' or 'mediocre', it depends on the tone of voice.

It's usually used as an adjective but in America it can now be used as a verb or a noun. "The boss okayed the purchase," and, "The boss gave his okay to the purchase." However, my English teacher says that the use of 'ok' in conversation is acceptable, but it should never be used in formal writing and making it into a noun or a verb is completely unacceptable and typical of the Americans; but then she is from Britain!

sábado, 25 de mayo de 2013

MOLLY MALONE, who was she?


IRELAND

What do you know about Ireland?

Another Irish song, how much can you understand?



Check with the lyrics.

viernes, 24 de mayo de 2013

ROCK FORMATIONS

Another hint by Elena (1º ESO A):

These fantastic rock formations are found in Arizonia, USA and Western Australia. It seems incredible that natural agents such as wind, rain and chemicals could have shaped these 'solid waves'. The Yavapai-Apache, the indigenous people of Arizona, and the aborigines in Western Australia, have alternative explanations to how these geomorphological structures were created.
Can you invent a fable explaining how these rocks came into being?
















And what about the Giants' Causeway in Northern Ireland?

CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THEM OR ANY OTHER ROCK FORMATION IN THE WORLD????

And this is Elena's perfect comment on it:

The Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. It is an unusual rock formation, which is a National Trust site and receives many million of visitors a year.
It is an extensive lava plateau of volcanic basalt rock which cooled rapidly. The vertical cracks, which formed during the contraction, shaped the lava into hexagonal columns. In a similar way as mud when it dries fractures into geometrical patterns. The horizontal cracks created layers like 'coins' stacked one upon another. The resulting landscape is quite spectacular.
There are similar basalt columns on the Scottish coast, on the island of Staffa at the location of Fingal's Cave. They're part of the same molten lava flow. It is perhaps because of the similarity between these two sites that the legend of The Giant's causeway evolved.
The legend tells us that the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill challenged the Scottish giant Benandonner to a fight. He built a pathway across the sea, but when he saw Benandonner, he was afraid because he was so big and he ran home. His wife hid him in a cradle and pretended he was her baby. When Benandonner came searching for Fionn and saw the huge baby he thought that the father must be enormous and returned to Scotland breaking up the causeway as he went, so that Fionn couldn't catch him. Now the cause way disappears into the North Sea and reappears on the other side.
This legend seems to me a far more plausible explanation for the Giant's causeway.

 

miércoles, 22 de mayo de 2013

A good pronunciation helps!!!!

How do you pronounce 'saw'? Check its pronunciation and its different meanings here. And be careful because you may mispronounce it and mean 'sow'.

But what is the meaning of sow? Watch this song by the Dubliners (7 Drunken nights) and read the lyrics and you will discover it.




Do you like Celtic music? Have you ever been to Ireland?

miércoles, 15 de mayo de 2013

ENERGY DRINKS

Another video sent by Elena.



Do you fancy energy drinks?

.... AND IF YOU HAVE TIME, HERE'S A SELECTIVITY EXAM: ENERGY DRINKS

Cool fashion: T-shirts

The T-shirt got its name from the shape of the letter T.

A T-shirt (T shirt or tee) is a style of shirt. A T-shirt's defining characteristic is the T shape made with the body and sleeves. It is normally associated with short sleeves, a round neck line, and no collar. However, it may also include long sleeves, buttons, collars, or v-necks.

Do you like T-shirts? Have a look at other cool clothes in my site and make any comments you wish.

And now read the lyrics while you are listening to this song by Shontelle.


martes, 14 de mayo de 2013

Teenage years

Read this excellent composition by Ms. Pöhnlein and give me your opinion about teenage years.




BIOGRAPHIES: Louis Pasteur

Who was Louis Pasteur? 

Read about him and point out the main pieces of information.




Then you can also write his biography as seen in the textbook.

martes, 7 de mayo de 2013

House of horrors: outrageous story in Cleveland


Read and watch about this outrageous story in Cleveland

Can it be possible? Is it real or just a story taken from a horror film? You can either make a comment or send me another story (link to the article) you have heard about.