NATURE could be the solution

Ecotherapy could be the solution to some mental illnesses, especially in this stressful world we live. Have you ever tried going for a walk in the rain, or in the forest? How do you feel later? Can you have any negative feelings after such an experience.

 

What is ecotherapy?

 

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

• Ecotherapy: how does the great outdoors improve mental health? (The Guardian)

• Could ‘nature healing’ be part of the future of treatment? (the On the line org)

• Ecotherapy: why plants are the latest treatment for depression and anxiety (The Guardian)

And now listen to a podcast and do the listening exercise:

• Eco-therapy (BBC News)

• The calming power of nature  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

English in a Minute:  Comparatives to show progress (The bigger, the better)   (BBC Learning English)

 

 

When you don't do things yourself, what happens? In English you can always use THE CAUSATIVE HAVE

And here's a quizz for my 4º ESO students about the REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS. and for my 1º ESO students here's a revision of the QUESTIONS FORMS.

Tennis  >>>  What Happens When Nadal is Down 0-40 in the Most Critical Moment? (Mental Fortress)  

 

Good time to take stock of the situation!!

Now that the year is coming to an end it is the perfect time to take stock of the situation, that is to say, to see all the things we have done this year, both achievements and failures or even things that could be improved. This way we will be able to make a progress in our lives and we will become more mature if we are conscious of our realities.

 

That is what I always think about myself, and what I ask my sons and students to do at the of the year, but especially at the end of the school year in June.

 

Listen to this song and have a look at the lyrics   >>>   Nelly Furtado- All Good Things Come To An End with lyrics on screen  

 

So you can write your comments answering basically these three questions:

• What have you achieved this year? What did you do well this year?

• Where did you fail? Talk about your failures or things you didn't manage to carry out.

• Finally, there certain aspects you did well, but that you feel you could have done better.

 

 

 

English in a Minute: American English vs British English spelling   (BBC Learning English)

 

mmmEnglish >>>> Advanced speaking practice: English Imitation Lesson

 

BBC Learning English - Learners' Questions / The past continuous or past perfect continuous tense?   

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 191218 / 18 December 2019    >>>  Deep-sea mining:   Language related to 'mining'.  Need-to-know language: excavating, sources, rich in, on the brink & ventures.

Tennis  >>>  Rafael Nadal - 20+ Unique Shots That Will Impress You (Super RARE)  

 

Merry Christmas to you all!!!

 

There are many topics concerning Christmas that every year come to our minds when the year is about to end.

 

First, how are we going to decorate our house? or do we still decorate our houses when we get older? Do we use a fake or real Christmas tree?

Listening exercise to do: Fake or real: what's the best tree to have at Christmas? (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

 

 

Do we still believe in Santa Claus and its tradition? Do we prefere the Three Wise Men? When do we usually get our Christmas gifts? Do we buy presents for everybody or just the children? (Have a look at the LINGOHACK section below)

News Review:Meet a real-life secret Santa (BBC Learning English)

What about TV or films? Do we still like watching films related with Christmas such as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? What other things do we usually watch at Christmas?

A Christmas Carol - Part 1: Marley's ghost   

Why is Christmas a time of happiness? Is it so happy for everybody?

 

The English We Speak: The more the merrier (BBC Learning English)

And apart from all this, what about family gatherings? Do we still meet all the relatives? Where do we meet? At our grandparents' house? Who does all the cooking?

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 191225 / 25 December 2019    >>>  Christmas toys for children in poverty:   Language related to 'poverty'.  Need-to-know language: appeal, food bank, suffering & stigma.

  
  

  

  
  

  Tennis  >>>  Rafael Nadal - Top 10 Reactions of Players Who can't handle Rafa's game (Part 2)  

   

This is English and these are our non-bilingual students from IES Mediterraneo

Here's a video some students (Lucía Espinosa, Lucía García, María González & Alicia Ortega) from 4º ESO A have just made  >>>>>

 

Well done!!!!  CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Maybe they can become teachers of English one day!!!

 

Here's a listening exercise for you to do: Why take a gap year?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) 

Do you know what 'a gap year' means?

 

Here's a game for my 1º ESO students about COUNTRIES AND NATIONALITIES (Another exercise).

 

English in a Minute: 'FINE' vs 'FINELY'   (BBC Learning English)

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 191204 / 04 December 2019    >>>  Victoria Falls: Is Zimbabwe drying up?:   Language related to 'disasters'.  Need-to-know language: drought, unsustainable, crisis, crippled & collapse.

Tennis  >>>  Rafael Nadal - Top 10 Reactions of Djokovic when he can't handle Rafa's Game  

 

What is your ideal teacher like?

Teaching is not a particularly easy job to carry out. Actually, there are more and more cases of people who try it and give it up after a while. We have had some examples at school.

 

Not long ago remember we were talking about... More demanding jobs and stressful lives

It is true that it is a very demanding job as you have to be proficient in the subject you teach, you have to be highly motivating, you have to cope with students' misbehaviour in an appropriate way, you have to be a Super Teacher using ITC tools, there are more and more laws, changing every minute, you have to keep families informed... and so on.

What should teachers be like? Many students would prefer a super-teacher who would be telling jokes the whole time, giving high marks to everyone and not making them work (among other things). On the contrary, as you grow older, or when you miss chances in life because you are not well-prepared, you appreciate other characteristics, but perhaps it is already too late.

Before going on, let's just stop for a minute and see the difference between 'ADVICE' and 'ADVISE' (Learners' questions, BBC Learning English)

 

Anyway, here are some pieces of advice to become a good teacher.

The 10 Best Pieces of Teaching Advice for Every Educator    

 

Listen to this song

You Have Made A Difference - A Teacher appreciation song

and read its lyrics to see if you agree with it.

 

And here's some advice to become the best teacher of English. Unfortunately, the article is in Spanish. Do you agree with it?

Here's a most interesting TED talk about Education by Rita Pierson: "Every kid needs a champion"  

Revise the PREPOSITIONS OF TIME with Papa English

For my 1º ESO students, here's an important piece of news:

Let's read Sinbad   >>>>    SINBAD  

What can we do to improve our marks in 'Sinbad':

• Prepare for the control we will have

• Read aloud at home and listen to the reader (the audios are available in your pendrive)

• Do the activities proposed in the book

• Translate it into Spanish using your dictionaries (NO TRANSLATORS!!!!)

• Make a comic

• Do the (BOOK REVIEW) CONTROL SHEET ON TERM READER

Here's a listening exercise for you to do: Chatting to new people  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English) Can it be good for your mental health?

LINGOHACK  >>>

• Episode 191211 / 11 December 2019    >>>  Discovering the code of all life:   Language related to 'life'.  Need-to-know language: teeming with life, biomedical sciences, DNA sequence, breed crops & decipher the genetic code.

Stories for Children >>> Milly and the Rainbow (BBC Learning English)

 

Tennis  >>>  What Awakened The MONSTER Inside Novak Djokovic?  

 

Xmas is round the corner!!!

Christmas is just round the corner!!! Probably the best time of the year, from the point of view of family gatherings!!! 

  

Christmas is one of the most frequent topics in this blog (you can click on the label Christmas ) and you may be able to answer some of these questions:

• What kind of present would you like to have for Christmas?

• Have you ever been to London or Cambridge, or Britain in general, for Christmas? Have a look at the video our Philosophy and Robotics teacher José Luis did when we went on one of our study trips and tell me if you would ever like to go.

• What is your favourite Christmas carol in English?

• What things do you usually do? What things do you have to do every Christmas that you like and that you don't like?

• What words do you know about the topic: Christmas? 

And my students in 4º ESO must remember to make a comment in this post:

Dickens & Christmas

(Book online  for you to read)

Here's a listening exercise for you to do: How long can you hold your breath?  (6 Minute English, BBC Learning English)

English in a Minute:  SEE, WATCH & LOOK   (BBC Learning English)

Rod Stewart - Christmas Live at Stirling Castle

 

6 Minute Vocabulary: More suffixes  (BBC Learning English)

The English We Speak: 'Dad dancing' - Get ready to be embarrassed! (BBC Learning English) Do you like the way your dad dances? Does he make any funny movements? What about your mum?