In the need of some extra money

Let's do this listening exercise: Side hustles  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English).

Have you and your family always have enough money to pay all the bills?

 

Some previous questions to answer:

1. What phonetic phenomenon can you find in 'side hustles'?

2. What does 'side' mean here, as an adjective? Can you give any more examples? 

3. Do you know anyone who has got an extra job? 

4. Have you ever thought of looking for some kind of job to earn your pocket money?

Here are some interesting articles for you to read about the issue:

• 50 side businesses to set up from home (The Guardian)

• Here Are the 13 Best Second Jobs... (The Independent)

• More than 44 million Americans have a side hustle (CNN)

• Why Americans don't take sick days (BBC News)

And here's Dire Straits with their song Money for Nothing  >>>

The second term is coming to an end and we are expecting our results. Here are two important verbs to learn:  Who..., What..., Where..., When... + EVER  (English in a Minute)

 

BASKETBALL  >>>  Vintage NBA

Larry Bird (Who's Really The G.O.A.T) NBA Legends  

DIGITAL ADDICTION, a REAL problem to solve

This is no longer a family and this is no longer a gathering of friends, and these are no longer work partners, either. A group of people may physically be at the same spot, but mentally they are so distant away. 

 

It is a big disgrace for humankind as social interactions are so virtual. And why is all that? It could be due to a virus that affects these generations: DIGITAL ADDICTION!!! It spreads so fast worldwide chasing every mind that it is a real danger.

 

Some interesting articles for you to read, especially the one about the solution found by the Silicon Valley parents: 

• Silicon Valley parents are raising their kids tech-free — and it should be a red flag (Business Insider)

• Tablets out, imagination in: the schools that shun technology (The Guardian)

• Is technology in the classroom good for children? (The Guardian)

• How Digital Addiction Can Hurt Your Family (SheKnows)

And now watch this report  (SOME OTHER VIDEOS TO WATCH:  1  2  3 ) >>>

 

We are on our countdown (JUST 10 DAYS!!!!) to depart for York and this piece of news has just struck me!!!! Flight to Germany goes to Scotland by mistake  (News Review, BBC Learning English).

 

BA flight lands in Edinburgh instead of Düsseldorf by mistake (BBC News)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190327 / 27 March 2019    >>>  Robot grocery deliveries -  Language related to 'delivery of goods'.  Need-to-know language: convenience, handed over, the order is placed, on its way & tampered with.

BASKETBALL  >>>  Vintage NBA

Larry Bird (The Baddest Man Ever to Shoot a Basketball) NBA Legends  

FAKE NEWS!!!

We've got important events ahead in Spain: the General Elections, municipal elections, elections for the European Parliament... Apart from that, we've still got some hot issues to sort out: Brexit, Cristiano Ronaldo's latest scandals, rumours... And we don't really know if the news we get are true or just FAKE NEWS!!!! So it is not just matter that affects April Fools' Day!

 

Before, during the Cold War for instance, the problem was the lack of information, but now the problem is just all the opposite: loads of news, among which you never know which ones are really true or just fake. Social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter... contribute to all this world of misinformation.

 

So what is the meaning of 'fake news'? Can you give an example of a fake news that you have come across lately. What happens on 1^st April? 

Here are some articles to read about the issue:

• WhatsApp 'deleting 2m accounts a month' to stop fake news (The Guardian)

• The History of ‘Fake News’ (Part 1) - BBC News >>  podcast

• It must be Tuesday: Trump complains about, shares fake news (The Washington Post) 

• Facebook needs regulation to combat fake news, say MPs (The Guardian)  

• Disinformation and fake news spreads over WhatApp ahead of Brazil's presidential election (The Independent)

However, this matter could be solved if we got the information face to face   >>>   Listening exercise for you to do: What your eyes say about your personality  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English). 

 

Anyway, the more illiterate we are, the less ability we have to spot what news are fake.

 

The second term is coming to an end and we are expecting our results. Here are two important verbs to learn:  Wish vs Hope  (English in a Minute)

 

And now let's revise the RELATIVE CLAUSES (ii)

 

 

English with Lucy   >>>>  5 things to practice every day to improve your English communication skills

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190320 / 20 March 2019    >>>  Tackling food waste and obesity -  Language related to 'food excess and waste'.  Need-to-know language: leftover, piling up, stale, culinary & loading up.

You've got a friend in me

It is not that easy nowadays to find a true friend. Here are some articles for you to read:

• How to choose your inner circle: With friends like these... (The Independent)

• Seven ways to make new friends (The Guardian)

• What is it like to live without any friends? (BBC)

 

 

You have been listening in this blog to 4 different versions of the song: "You've got a friend". Which one do you like the most? Why?   

1. the one which is sung by James Taylor   

2. the one sung by Carole King   

3. the one sung by both of them   

4. the one which appears in the film Toy Story (Randy Newman) 

SPRING IS HERE!!!!

Can you tell all the different meanings of the word 'spring'?

What's your to-do list for this spring? for Easter?

• Go to York and come back safe and sound

• Make the video sketch for Albert

• Write all the comments

....

 

Here's the song What do I have to do by Kylie Minogue >>>

 

In Unit 6 in the level of 4th of ESO we have seen some MODIFIERS, here's further information on the issue: Very vs Really vs Absolutely  (English in a Minute)

 

And now let's revise the RELATIVE CLAUSES (i)

Phrasal verbs with "UP" - Learn English prepositions

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190313 / 13 March 2019    >>>  Electrifying Africa -  Language related to 'Environmentalism: resources and solutions'.  Need-to-know language: sustainability, convert, surplus, small scale & solar system.

Happy St Patrick's Day!!!!

And in Dublin you've got: St Patrick's Festival 2019    

Click here to see previous posts in this blog related to the issue:   St Patrick's Day

 

 

 

And one day we'll remember... 

Let's have a look at the history of this day  >>>  

Why St Patrick's Day went global  by  The Economist

 

 

 

Saint Patrick's Day (feast day) by Enciclopaedia BRITANNICA   

 

Small talk

What do you think 'small talk' refers to? We're shortly going to York on our VII Study trip to the British-Irish Isles and we may be in this kind of situations many times. What can we do?

Here are some articles to read about the topic which may give you a clue about what to do:

• 5 tips for better small talk (The Guardian)

• 10 big rules of small talk (CNN)

A few things to learn about making small talks: How to make small talk during greetings  

and a listening exercise  >>>>

Subjects to avoid in British small talk: Salary (BBC Learning English)

Let's deal now with some big talk >>> VEGANISM

Listening exercise for you to do: Debating veganism: How to change someone's opinion (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English

 

Some selectivity exams to do: Orthorexia & Wonder Woman (2018)  

International Women's Day marked across the world (The Guardian)

  

 

Revision for 4º ESO (PASSIVE VOICE)  >>>

 

Unit 6. Extra-exercises

Rewrite these sentences into the PASSIVE VOICE:

1. Bakers make bread from flour.
2. They offered Jane a wonderful job.
3. Somebody has sent me a strange letter.
4. Alexander Bell invented the telephone.
5. A woman was training the guard dogs.
6. People of all ages can play Trivial Pursuit.
7. People sell fresh eggs in Vélez Benaudalla. 
8. She has packed the books.
9. Someone types letters for my boss.
10. Israeli troops have attacked the town several times since the beginning of the war.

Rewrite these sentences into the ACTIVE VOICE (remember you will sometimes have to invent a subject):

1. The castle was built in 1546.
2. The letters were being written in English by Jane.
3. The parcel has been sent from this post office.
4. Mobile phones mustn't be used during the speech.
5. These exercises can be done without using a dictionary.
6. John was asked a lot of difficult questions.
7. The jewel was taken from this box.
8. This site is visited by many students in Salobreña.
9. The job is going to be finished before midnight.
10. Diana was given a camera.

 

Lately we have been talking in 4º ESO about medicine and warts, here's an expression "warts and all", watch the video and tell me what it means:

Who was Oliver Cromwell, by the way?

Here's a good expression to learn:   to put someone on the map (The English We Speak)

Stop Saying "I'm Hungry!" - Learn English expressions

 

 

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190306 / 06 March 2019    >>>  Why are we ticklish? -  Language related to 'the body's reactions'.  Need-to-know language: tickling sensation, nerve endings, electrical signals & defence mechanism.

Anything on your to-do list you still haven't done?

Our students are working hard these days (Below I present you some of the projects they have been doing), but there may be still many things to do. Have you ever written a TO-DO LIST?

 

Here are some articles for you to read and a listening exercise:

• How to stop to-do lists ruining your life (The Guardian)

• Why you only need five things on your to-do list (The Guardian)

• Do You Have a Not-to-Do list? Here's Why You Should (Inc.)  

Listening exercise for you to do: What's on your to-do list?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English).

Let's revise these three words: STILL, ALREADY & YET  

However, our students can!!!

Learn three ways to use 'CAN': 3 USES OF 'CAN'  (English in a Minute)

Birthday party by Lucía Espinosa, Lucía García, Nuria Díaz, María González & Alicia Ortega

 

 

Do you like trekking? Here's the leaflet designed by Mihail Livaditis on trekking >>>>

 

5 Stephen Hawking Predictions That May Come True

 

 

The Science Week at IES Mediterraneo & OUR ARTISTS

What a hectic week we are having!!!!  

 

The Science Week at our school, students from primary schools visiting us, tomorrow we are celebrating the International Working Women's Day, exams, classes, homework... and last, but not least,  next week we will be celebrating the first anniversary of Stephen Hawking's death and 𝛑 Day on March 14th (3.14).

 

And now I want to present you some of the experiments and other experiences our students carried out during our Science Week.

Lucía Guirado (4º ESO A) post in her blog  >>  

Marina Guirado (4º ESO A) post in her blog  >>

 

Mihail Livaditis (4º ESO A) post in his blog  >>

 

Ana Muñoz (4º ESO A)  >>

 

María Prados (4º ESO A)   >>

SCIENCE WEEK

One week a year a lot of activities are done by teachers and students for children from schools. You can learn about all the subjects: biology, physics and chemistry, technology, maths...

My section was geography and I explained and did the solar system.

MATERIALS  WE  NEED

-BASE OF POREXPAN

-9 POREXPAN BALLS WITH DIFFERENT SIZES

-PAINTING

-BRUSHES

-WOOD STICKS

-GLUE GUN

-GLITTER (If you want)

first step

A wooden stick must be inserted into each ball, then paint all the balls with the painting and the brushes.

next step

while the balls are drying, you have to paint the base (you can add glitter) also you have to paint the orbits

third step

The sun is put and introduced in the middle of the base and the other planets are placed and put in order around the big star in the orbits

Last step

With a little piece of paper put the names of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth,Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

the result

SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANETS

MERCURY

is the closest to the sun and the smallest

VENUS

Is the hottest one and is rocky

EARTH

Is the planet where we life and the only one with life

MARS

Mars has the largest volcano and is known as the red planet

JUPITER

Is the biggest one and it has a lots of gases

SATURN

has rings around it and is big

URANUS

has a similiarcomposition to neptune

NEPTUNE

Is the coldest one and is blue

María Prados Espinosa 4ºA

 

Desirée Rodríguez (4º ESO A)  >>

 

Anabel Prados (4º ESO A)  >>

 

Latest video to watch about Stephen Hawking:

The Best Of Stephen Hawking

 

 And remember our previous post: Stephen Hawking, a unique brain.

 

 

Tomorrow, as I said above, we are also celebrating the International Working Women's Day and here are the posters done by our students, who won the first and third prize in the town's contest:

Laura Martín

Mª Jesús Burell & Lucía Fernández

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS AND THEIR ART TEACHER ELISA!!!

For further information about the Science Week and the contest visit our school's blog!!!

And now changing topics, ...

Legendary creatures: the Unicorn

What is Cryptozoology? It is the study of legendary creatures (interesting listening exercise about the topic). Do you know any other legendary creatures? In the listening exercise below you will learn all about this and what is the connection with the current political situation in the United Kingdom.

Listening exercise for you to do: Why are unicorns back in fashion?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English).

How To Say Common English Expressions! 💬 Small Talk PART 2 by mmmEnglish

In a minute you'll see the difference between: Everyone vs Anyone  (English in a Minute)

 

And related to this issue, here are two other aspects to revise:

• Someone, nothing, anywhere... (6 Minute Vocabulary)

• Some and Any (The Grammar Gameshow)

Shall we eat? Yes, but...

Are you allergic to nuts or gluten? Are you lactose intolerant? There are so many people nowadays who have some kind of food allergy that it may be a big issue when eating out as you have to check everything before you order your food.

Would you like some FROZEN YOGURT?

Here are some articles for you to read about the issue and then you have a listening exercise to do:

• Why are food allergies in children on the rise – and is there anything parents can do to protect them? (The Guardian)

• Why the world is becoming more allergic to food (BBC - Health)

• Allergies: the scourge of modern life? (The Guardian)

And here's another previous post about food allergies:

What to eat or not to eat? that is the question!!!

Here's a listening exercise to do: Are food allergies more common now? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

Talking about the word spot we recently saw in class, here's another meaning: To have a soft spot ?(The English We Speak)

 

Learn about fruit, vegetables and nuts with Lucy

 

And some food phrasal verbs

 

How To Say Common English Expressions! | 💬 Small Talk PART 1 by mmmEnglish

6 Minute Vocabulary: In, at, on with time expressions (BBC Learning English)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 190227 / 27 February 2019    >>>  Maya Bay: Saving Paradise -  Language related to 'tourism'.  Need-to-know language: landscape, tourists, tourist attraction, to dock & preservation.