Thursday 15 December 2016

Ada Lovelace and the History of Computers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/ztrq7ty?ns_mchannel=email&ns_source=inxmail_newsletter&ns_campaign=schools-teachers_kl__&ns_linkname=na&ns_fee=0

Find out how Ada Lovelace shaped the development of computers in this KS1 guide on the history of computers

There is lots more to discover about how we use computers today in our interactive guides for KS1 and KS2 students.

Friday 9 December 2016

The Teacher's Secret


The Teacher’s Secret is a Korean folktale of a teacher and his students. What will happen if the students eat their teacher’s snacks? And what will he do if he finds out!?

Click on the image to read


Wednesday 7 December 2016

James Cameron before Avatar




You can see the subtitles and choose English version, it is more interesting!

See it in Ted original

Monday 5 December 2016

Bananas: Most Dangerous Fruit In The World

Remember to include my code (begonals).

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Irregular Verbs?


Click on the image to play


If you want to play more with the irregular verbs, enter  game 1, game 2, game 3.

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Future Continuous or Future Perfect

The future continuous (will be + ‘ing’ form) and the future perfect (will have + past participle) tenses are used to talk about events in the future.

Image result for will be ing or will have participleFuture continuous

  • Don’t ring at 8 o’clock. I’ll be watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
  • This time tomorrow we’ll be sitting on the beach. I can’t wait!
We use the future continuous to talk about something that will be in progress at or around a time in the future.
  • Don’t phone grandma now, she’ll be having dinner.
  • The kids are very quiet. They’ll be doing something wrong, I know it!
These sentences are not about the future but we can use the future continuous to talk about what we assume is happening at the moment.

Future Perfect

  • Do you think you will have finished it by next Thursday?
  • In 5 years time I’ll have finished university and I’ll be able to earn some money at last.
We use the future perfect to say that something will be finished by a particular time in the future.

We often use the future perfect with ‘by’ or ‘in
  • I think astronauts will have landed on Mars by the year 2020.
  • I’ll have finished in an hour and then you can use the computer.
By’ means ‘not later than a particular time’ and ‘in’ means 'within a period of time’. We don’t know exactly when something will finish.
  • I promise I’ll have done all the work by next Saturday.
We don’t know exactly when he will finish the work – maybe Thursday, maybe Friday – but definitely before Saturday. 
For some quizzes try: 

How to Express Frustration

Monday 28 November 2016

Games: Verb Viper



Verb Viper is a language arts game that encourages your child to choose correct verb tenses (present, past, past participle), recognize correct verb forms (ran instead of runned), and recognize subject/verb agreement (I am, he is).

How Colours Affect Your Mood

Remember to include my code (begonals).

Friday 25 November 2016

'It's toothpaste out of the tube'



My daughter starts middle school tomorrow. We've decorated her locker, bought new uniforms, even surprised her with a new backpack. But tonight just before bed, we did another pre-middle school task that is far more important than the others. I gave her a tube of toothpaste and asked her to squirt it out onto a plate. When she finished, I calmly asked her to put all the toothpaste back in the tube. She began exclaiming things like "But I can't!" and "It won't be like it was before!" I quietly waited for her to finish and then said the following:
"You will remember this plate of toothpaste for the rest of your life. Your words have the power of life or death. As you go into middle school, you are about to see just how much weight your words carry. You are going to have the opportunity to use your words to hurt, demean, slander and wound others. You are also going to have the opportunity to use your words to heal, encourage, inspire and love others. You will occasionally make the wrong choice; I can think of three times this week I have used my own words carelessly and caused harm. Just like this toothpaste, once the words leave your mouth, you can't take them back. Use your words carefully, Breonna. When others are misusing their words, guard your words. Make the choice every morning that life-giving words will come out of your mouth. Decide tonight that you are going to be a life-giver in middle school. Be known for your gentleness and compassion. Use your life to give life to a world that so desperately needs it. You will never, ever regret choosing kindness."


Wednesday 23 November 2016

How to say "Thank you" in 28 languages

Thanksgiving may often be seen as a thoroughly American affair, but variations of this celebration exist in other parts of the world as well. So, to honour the international character of the harvest festival, why not take out a few minutes in between stuffing your face with turkey and sweet potatoes to learn how to say thank you in other languages?

thank you translations world map

Click on the image to enlarge

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Thanksgiving

Remember to include my code (begonals) to let me see how you did.

Monday 21 November 2016

How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

Remember to include my code (begonals)at the end of the test so you can let me see how you did.

Friday 18 November 2016

In Memory: Leonard Cohen

Add my code (begonals)!

Monday 14 November 2016

Tough Mudder



We are 10-12 miles of mud and obstacles built to test your mental grit, camaraderie and all-around physical fitness. We are a team-oriented challenge with no winner, no finisher medal, no clock to race against—just an ice cold beer and a few good scrapes from a day spent outside and free from everyday bullshit. We are for anyone who has ever followed their gut, tried to defy gravity, chosen “dare” over “truth,” taken risks, sought thrills, or is generally awesome at life. Turns out, it's all been training. We are made for this: tough mudder.

And you, are you brave enough to solve the quiz? click on the image and guess...


Tuesday 8 November 2016

Australia and New Zealand





On Natural Geographic's Australia and New Zealand's webpages you'll get basic information about these countries, with videos relating their history and nature.

After that try to answer these Webquest about Australia, Australian Quiz or New Zealand Trivia.

Wednesday 2 November 2016

Past habits without 'used to': Stop Saying



Is there another way of talking about past habits without using 'used to'? This is the question that Tim tackles in this video. In it he has to reveal some of the dark secrets of his past as well as some of his present habits, which can't all be recommended.

From BBC Learning English

Monday 31 October 2016

TED:ed: 'At what moment are you dead?'



 For as far back as we can trace our existence, humans have been fascinated with death and resurrection. But is resurrection really possible? And what is the actual difference between a living creature and a dead body anyway? Randall Hayes delves into the scientific theories that seek to answer these age-old questions.

Watch the video and answer the questions.

Sunday 23 October 2016

Wednesday 19 October 2016

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Quiz: which Hunger Games character are you?



Find out which Hunger Games character you most resemble – may the odds ever be in your favour (that you get your favourite character)! Before you start, make sure you’ve read about the language of the Hunger Games, and 8 words you need to know to survive The Hunger Games.
Are you selfless like Peeta? A survivor like Katniss? Are you superficial like Effie or a show off like Finnick? As cray as Johanna, or as calculating as President Snow?

Find out in our quiz clicking on the image!

Via Oxford Dictionary Blog


Monday 17 October 2016

Alyssa Carson has Big Dreams



Remember to include my teacher's code: begonals

Thursday 6 October 2016

Games: Word Frog





Word Frog is a language arts game that provides practice in matching antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms. The target word appears on the frog, with the word category underneath defining the relationship to be matched.

Friday 30 September 2016

Demonstrative Adjectives

Aprende inglés: adjetivos demostrativos vía: http://www.grammar.net/ #infografia #infographic #education:

Words are CATegorical



Students or teachers can print posters (really cute ones) for any part of speech, use teacher tools to find out fun activities to use in the classroom, students can make up wacky stories using parts of speech, test their knowledge and much more! VERY engaging with terrific pictures.

Wednesday 28 September 2016

10 Curious Facts About Great Britain

flag union jack

  1. Nowhere in England is further than 75 miles (121 km) from the sea (the nearest beach to Madrid is 360 km away in Valencia!). The coastline of Britain is 11,073 miles (17,820 km) long.
  2. Every day 165 million cups of tea are drunk in Britain. Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea is the cause of considerable debate!
  3. The London Eye is the tallest observation wheel in the world, and each rotation takes about 30 minutes. The structure is 443 feet (135 m) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet (120 m)
  4. The British coronation ceremony is over 1,000 years old. Ever since William the Conqueror was crowned on Christmas Day in A.D. 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the setting. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was the first to be shown on television.
  5. Queen Elizabeth II travels with her own toilet seat and feather pillows, and she is the only person in Britain who travels without a passport. During her 63-year-long reign, she has visited 128 countries.
  6. The London underground, or the “Tube,” is the oldest in the world. The first line was built in 1863. The underground now has 270 stations and is the 11th busiest in existence.
  7. England took part in the shortest war in history. It fought against Zanzibar in 1896 and Zanzibar surrendered after just 38 minutes! The East African forces suffered about 500 casualties, while only one British sailor was injured.
  8. The first postage stamps appeared in England. The first nation-wide stamp (and first adhesive stamp) was the Penny Black, introduced in 1840. Because Britain was the first country to issue national stamps, British stamps still have the unique distinction of not mentioning the country’s name on them.
  9. The one-and-a-half mile journey from Westray to Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands in Scotland is the shortest scheduled flight in the world. The trip takes less than two minutes.
  10. The most popular ‘convenience’ food in the world was invented – or so the story goes – by an English aristocrat with a passion for gambling, the Earl of Sandwich. So he didn’t have to stop playing and to keep his hands clean for the cards, the Earl of Sandwich asked for meat to be put between two slices of bread.

Thanks to Oxford CultureMania

Tuesday 27 September 2016

Nothing Compares to You



Remember to include my teacher´s code to see how you did: begonals

Sunday 18 September 2016

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

The Harry Potter universe keeps expanding, with 2016 seeing both a film of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 
J.K. Rowling is nothing if not a linguistic innovator, and we’ve already explored the Harry Potter books’ linguistic innovation and use of Latin. Given Rowling’s love of language, both in naming spells, creatures, and sports and in her characters’ dialogue – we thought we’d help you find out which Harry Potter character you are…
Which Harry Potter character are you?
Via Oxford Dictionary Blog

Thursday 30 June 2016

See You in September


Try those links on the right column about Useful Skills instead!

Thursday 23 June 2016

How Well Do You Know Football Terminology?



Are you man of the match, or merely watching from the sidelines? Click through those eight questions to find out how well you know the language of the beautiful game.

Via Oxford Dictionary Blog

Monday 13 June 2016

Every day vs. everyday


Everyday (with no space) doesn’t mean the same thing as every day (with a space). In speech, however, they do sound the same. No wonder it’s so easy to confuse them with one another. What does each phrase mean and how do you use them?
Everyday (as one word) is an adjective. Thesauruses list average, ordinary, and standard as synonyms. “Everyday clothing,” then, refers to the ordinary clothes you wear on regular days, as opposed to outfits designated for special events or holidays. Occasionally, people use everyday as a noun—it’s a shorthand way of referring to their everyday routines. Here are some quotes to help you understand how to use everyday.
Every day means “each day.” The easiest way to remember this is to think about the space separating the two words. Because of that space, “every” is simply an adjective modifying the word “day.” If you paired every with any other word, it would mean each.

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ―Pablo Picasso

I want to buy every album that Barbra Streisand has ever made. = I want to buy each of Barbra Streisand’s albums.

I want to eat mashed sweet potatoes every day of my life. = I want to eat mashed sweet potatoes each day of my life.

Sunday 5 June 2016

Monday 30 May 2016

Friday 27 May 2016

What are the Origins of Country Names?

Country name origins

Why your country is named so? Using the list of countries as determined by the UN and information from the Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, discover surprising and intriguing language facts from around the globe.
Some examples:

Andorra
The name Andorra comes from a local Navarrese word, andurrial, meaning ‘shrub-covered land’. It has also been suggested that the country took its name from Arabic al-Gandura, ‘the wanton woman’, a legacy from the Moors.

Australia
Imaging the existence of a land located in the Southern hemisphere, the Greeks came up with the name Terra Australis Incognita, meaning ‘Unknown Southern Land’.

Bangladesh
Bangladesh means ‘Land of the Bengalis’, from deś, ‘land’ or ‘country’. The Bengalis take their name from Banga, the chief of the Dravidian-speaking Bang tribe.

Canada
Canada’s name is perhaps derived from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, meaning ‘village’ or ‘settlement’.

Luxembourg
Luxembourg is originally found as Luciliburhuc, meaning ‘little castle’.

Spain

Spain may come from the Punic span or tsepan, ‘rabbit’, which were numerous in the peninsula, or from the Punic sphan,‘north’, since it was north of Carthage – or it may come from the Basque ezpaña, ‘lip’ or ‘extremity’, a reference to this south-western area of Europe.

Go on reading in OxfordWords Blog

Tuesday 24 May 2016