Loneliness, isolation, teenagers, sex!!!

Surprisingly, loneliness and isolation are very common feelings among our teenagers despite the fact that we live in overcrowded cities. Social media, video games, dangers in the streets... make our teenagers spend hours and hours alone in their bedrooms with their computers. Is this really good for their mental health? 

 

In the old days children used to play in the streets altogether, they would interact with other teenagers and they would learn about life through interaction.

 

Interesting articles to read about the issue:

• Teenagers on loneliness: ‘We want to talk to our parents. We need their guidance’ (The Guardian)

• Loneliness more likely to affect young people (BBC News, Education)

• Alone in the Crowd: Dealing With Loneliness In Teens (Your Teen magazine)

• Consequences of social isolation for children and adolescents (No Isolation)

• Why teenagers feel MORE lonely than the older generation (Daily Mail)

And this can even affect their sexual habits:

• We have abandoned our children to the internet (The Guardian)

• Help! My teen's watching online porn (CNN)

• Pornography 'desensitising young people' (BBC News, Education & family)

 

Here's a listening exercise to do: Loneliness (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

REVISION EXERCISE for 4º ESO

Complete the sentences using the correct FUTURE TENSE form.

1. I booked our summer holiday last week. We (go) _______________________ to France in July.

2. I think our team (win) ______________________ tonight. I’m feeling lucky.

3. I (have) _____________________ an orange juice, please.

4. I’ve just started a new diet. I (not eat) ______________________ any more chocolate.

5. It’s 8.30, you (be) __________________ late for school.

6. I (be) ____________________ 17 on my next birthday!     

7. We (play) ____________________ tennis tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

8. In our trip around Scandinavia we (visit) __________________ Copenhagen first, then Stockholm, Helsinki and finally Oslo, where we (have) _________________ on a cruise ship along the Bergen fjord.

And here's a video about the Bergen fjord:

and another video about the train that goes from Oslo to Bergen: (What does 'Norway in a nutshell' mean?)

Congratulations to our teachers and students at IES Mediterraneo (Salobreña)

We have just received a distinction of good teaching practices for our project on Computational thinking and Robotics carried out by our teachers: Mr. José Luis Fernández y Mr. Gustavo Pretel.

 

Here are some articles appeared in the local press and the interview carried out on Radio Salobreña to Mr Fernández:

• Buenas practicas educativas en IES Mediterráneo (Salobreña) en Motril Digital

• Radio Salobreña: El IES Mediterráneo es reconocido por la Junta de Andalucía como centro con prácticas innovadoras

• Listen to the interview on Radio Salobreña to Mr Fernández

Objectification, a top issue

Objectification of human beings is supposed to be one of the problems our society must tackle as soon as possible. We must all stand up against this problem if we want a fairer society for our children.

In the world of advertising it is not all gold that glitters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UN Women | My Story: End Violence against Women & Girls

And now you can create your own story by clicking here: My own story

 

TED TALK: The dark secret behind sexist advertisements by Natalia Ortiz Hazarian

  

Here are some interesting articles for you to read and you will discover that objectification affects both women and men:

• Objectification and education (The Guardian)

• #WomenNotObjects: 'Objectifying women is up there with inequality' (CNN)

• This is why the sexual objectification of men on TV isn’t just a bit of fun (The Independent)

• Men are now objectified more than women (The Telegraph)

• Banning F1 ‘grid girls’... (The Guardian)

And finally here's a listening exercise to do: Objectification (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

REVISION EXERCISE for 3º & 4º ESO

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. ¿Con quién sueles ir al cine? Suelo ir con mis amigos.

2. Hay unos cuantos libros interesantes en la biblioteca, pero no son demasiados. 

3. El jersey es demasiado grande para tí y no es lo bastante bonito para tu novia.

4. Estábamos esperando el autobús cuando vimos el accidente.

5. No tenemos que llevar uniforme en el instituto

 

English in a Minute  >>>>   Remember to do something vs Remember doing something (BBC Learning English)

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 181114 / 14 November 2018    >>>  First woman Physics Nobel Prize winner in 55 years -  Language related to 'inventions'.  Need-to-know language: ground-breaking, devised, to get recognised  & in the field.

Chickens on the run

Chickens have always been presented as dull animals, but IS IT REALLY TRUE? What does the expression 'chicken on the run' mean?

Let's begin by reminding you of the famous film CHICKEN RUN. Did you see the film?

This film was based on another great film called THE GREAT ESCAPE, which is starred, among other famous actors, by Steve McQueen. Here's the official trailer of the film....

... and this film was based on a true story that happened during the Second World War (The Making Of The Great Escape. Part 1 of 4). Here is also an interesting documentary to watch:

Great Escape: The Untold Story (WW2 POW Documentary) | Timeline

 

 

However, going back to chicken, here's an interesting listening exercise to do: What can chickens teach us about organisation? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

 

Organizations are often run according to "the superchicken model," where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. You can watch this fascinating TED talk by Margaret Heffernan: "Forget the pecking order at work". By the way, what does 'pecking order' mean?

AMERICA GOES CHICKEN CRAZY (The New York Times)

 

Here's another listening exercise to do: High-vis fashion (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

English in a Minute  >>>>   Prevent vs Avoid (BBC Learning English)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 181107 / 07 November 2018    >>>  Train of the future -  Language related to 'power'.  Need-to-know language: diesel, electrification, hydrogen, coal  & battery-powered.

Dumbphones and plastic

What do you mean by 'dumbphone? Is it a phone for dummies? What does a 'dummy' mean? What is the opposite of 'dumb'? These are all questions that can be answered by having a look at this:

 

The English We Speak: Dumbphone (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

What kind of mobile phone have you got? In the previous listening exercise there are certain expressions you should look up. can you tell me the meaning of them?

"I was getting addicted to my smartphone"  _____________________________

"I couldn't stop checking" _____________________________

"I got rid of it" _________________________

"There is no temptation to stare at this dumbphone in bed"  ______________________

"I'm sick of being bullied by my smartphone."  _______________________

"I could swap my computer for my typewriter."  _____________________________

 

And now changing topics, .....

Here's a listening exercise to do: Curbing our plastic addiction (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Related article you can read about the issue:

Plastic-eating enzyme could help fight pollution, scientists say (CBC)

And do you remember the difference between these two words:

English in a Minute: Been vs Gone (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

SOLUTION to an exercise in the previous post.
 
Answer these questions:   How do you call... ?

1 a strange-looking man    2 a young fair-haired girl      3 a badly-dressed lady       4 some well-made furniture

Gen Z to take over

What do the terms: 'Gen Z' and 'take over' mean? Do you think you belong to this Generation Z? What are the main differences between Generation Z teenagers and teenagers of previous generations? How different did your parents used to be from you?

Here's a listening exercise to do: Describing Generation Z (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

These are some articles you can read about the issue:

• Generation Z: ‘We have more to do than drink and take drugs’ (The Guardian)

• Millennials disrupted the system. Gen Z is here to fix the mess. (The Washington Post)

• 'We are the opposite of self-absorbed': what everyone gets wrong about Generation Z (The Guardian)

• 'We are Generation Z, we're misunderstood but this is who we are' (BBC News)

• Generation Z reported the most mental health problems, and gun violence is the biggest stressor (CNN)

News Review: 60% drop in global wildlife (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

REVISION EXERCISE for 4º ESO

MAKING SUGGESTIONS (Analyse different ways how to suggest first)

YOU: "I don't know what to do at Easter"    

ALBERT:     - "Why don't we go to York?"

                           - "Let's go to York"     "Let's not go to York"

                            - "Shall we go to York?"

                            - "How about going to York?

                            - "What about going to York?"

YOU:     "Great. I'd love to"      "That's a great idea!"    "Fantastic!"

                "I'm afraid I can't."      "I'm sorry, but I have to take care of my little sister."

                "All right, but you'll have to lend me some money."   "OK, but can you help me with my English homework?"    

1. YOU: "There is nothing on TV tonight."

2. YOU: "I am going on holiday to the north of Spain."

3. YOU: "I'm afraid I'm going to fail English."

4. Víctor: "10 kg of baggage is not enough for me."

5. YOU: "We would like to give a surprise birthday party for our History teacher."

6. YOU: "I don't know which kind of present we could give him."

7.  YOU: "We've still got 2 T-shirts and 3 sweaters left to sell. What can we do?"

8. YOU: "It's raining. We can't go out."

9. YOU: "I'm starving."

10. YOU: "The classroom is really untidy and messy. Albert is going to get really furious with us when he comes."      

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 181031 / 31 October 2018    >>>  Dogs could help detect malaria -  Language related to 'dogs'.  Need-to-know language: four-legged friends, on the scent, pooches,  & sniff out something/someone.

What do they mean by saying: "four-legged friends"? What is the word for young dogs?

 

A four-legged friend obviously makes reference to dogs. How would say in English: 'tuerto'?

Answer these questions using the same pattern:   How do you call...

1 ..... a man that looks strange?
2 ..... a young girl that has got fair hair?
3 ..... a lady that dresses badly?
4 ...... some furniture that has been made well?