Talking about a film you´ve enjoyed

You will hear someone talking about a film they´ve enjoyed. Complete the gaps in the sentences according to what you hear. Go here to watch the video.

I saw this film ___________ now  because  it _______ in 1994.

It _______ Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. It’s_____ by Frank Darabont.

It is  _____________a short story by Stephen King.

I would say the genre is ____________.

This movie is about ________ who goes to prison for life for_______________he didn´t do.

It´s about __________ he develops while in prison.

The acting is_______. The script is________.

You go on a real __________when you watch this film.

The music is by Thomas Newman who did the original ________ and it really pulls at the________________ .

The ending is ____________.

It´s a film that will take you on an _________.

So if __________this movie, watch it because it´s brilliant.

Now, prepare notes to talk about a film you´ve enjoyed.

Why we love a film that makes us cry

Can you think of films you´ve seen that made you cry??
Do men also cry at the cinema?
Can you think of adjectives to describe very sad, moving films??

For answers to these questions you can listen to this podcast.

If you want to learn more about what makes people cry in films you should watch this video and read the information below about The Les Miserables.

And if you are curious and you want to read a list of twenty films that make men cry, click here.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

How much do you know about this Irish tradition?

Do this quiz:

If you want to check the answers to the quiz and learn more things about St. Patrick's Day. Watch the video below and find out:



And if you want to celebrate it, you can join in the Irish dancing Riverdance-style in this cute flashmob in Sidney. I love it!!!!.

Help with listening

Dear all,

These are some useful websites if you want to do listening practice at home:

LISTENING EXERCISES:
 ELLLO
A wide range of listening exercises from different varieties of English
 Randall ESL Cyber Lab
Listening exercises organised according to level and topic
ESL Video
 Listening exercises with video.
Lyrics training.
Listening activitiess with songs.

AUDIO FILES WITH SCRIPTS:

6 minute English
 You can listen to the programmes and then read the tapescript. You can also subscribe to the podcast.
Words in the news
You can listen to the reports, then read the script and learn vocabulary.
Voice of America Learn English Videos and audios with scripts at a slower pace.
National Public Radio
 Most radio programmes come with a script.
CNN Student News
Videos about the news with scripts.

ALTERNATIVELY,
You could type in 'Listening resources for ESL' in the google search button. There´s lots out there.

If you know of any useful websites, you would like to share with your classmates, please feel welcome to send the websites as a comment to this post.

Thank you.

The Eden Project

Watch two videos about the Eden Project in Cornwall and answer the questions below:

What´s the main aim of the Eden Project?

Would you like to visit it? If so, why??

Interview with Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis on the release of Lincoln

Dear all,

As an alternative exercise to the typical listening tasks we usually do in class, I thought that you could have a go at interpreting Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis' words.
Pause after each of their answers, translate what they have said in your own words and then ckeck your understanding by listening to the actual interpreter.


You can play the interview here:

I hope you enjoy the activity and learn a lot of interesting things about Lincoln and movie making.

Christmas carols

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!! Here you can find some well-known Christmas Carols with lyrics: Jingle Bell Rock A little bird told me you are doing this one in the school choir: Silent Night Twelve Days of Christmas: This one will sound familiar to those of you who´ve been to the pantomime this year. Deck the Halls: We wish you a Merry Christmas This one is sung in Scotland on New Year´s Eve and it is a celebration of friendship. It was written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns: Auld Lang Syne And this one is a bit naughty: A fairytale of New York by Irish band The Pogues. Lyrics in different colours: man in red, woman in pink and both in blue.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

Watch Steve Jobs' address at Stanford university where he summarizes his life in three stories.



If you are short of time, here is a link to an edited version and a quiz.

After watching, complete these sentences using the third conditional:
- If he hadn´t been adopted by his parents......
- If he handn´t dropped out of college,...
- If he handn´t taken calligraphy lessons..
- If he hadn´t met Wozniak...
- If he hadn´t founded Pixar...
- If he hadn´t been fired from Apple,..

Now, make four similar sentences about your life and send them to the blog as a comment to this message.

Complicated

Dear all,

Do you feel like singing along to this song???

The lyrics are in your textbook on page 114.

Enjoy it!

Is eating healthily expensive?

Listen and find out.

Dear all,

This is the video about Halloween we've seen in class.



I hope you enjoy watching it again and get the missing words in the fill in the gaps listening exercise we did. Write your answers to number 2 as a comment to this entry. Let´s see who gets it right!!

You could also write a comment on the following:

What´s your opinion of Halloween??
Are you doing anything special this long weekend??

Enjoy All Hallows´ Eve.

Eva

A swishing party

You are going to watch a video about an original way of recycling clothes. Before you watch, talk to your partner about the following: How often do you go shopping for clothes? Do you ever buy second-hand clothes? What do you think the advantages/disadvantages of getting second-hand clothes could be? After you watch the video, discuss in pairs: - What is a swish party? - How do you organise one?

Tips about giving a presentation

Watch the video on how to give a presentation in English and answer the questions below:

Before you watch the video, list three things that are essential when you have to give an oral presentation.


-Watch the video and think about those aspects that could be useful in your situation.


- Think about any aspects of the presentation that were surprising or that were new for you.


- How can AFFECTION affect your presentation? Can you think of any way in which you could use this concept?