Merry Xmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY

Bring it down, band!

Now, I just came here tonight to say...
I just wanna say...
I just wanna say...

Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
Come on, merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel just like I'm living, living in paradise

Now listen
Now you see, I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And I feel real good tonight
And I got music on the radio
And the boys in the band are playing pretty good!
Now, I feel just like I wanna kiss you
Underneath my mistletoe

But now listen
Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
And I feel like I'm living, just living in paradise
Come on boys!

Well now, Santa came down chimney, half past three
With lots of nice little presents for my baby and me
Merry Christmas baby, you surely treat me nice
I feel like I'm living, I'm living in paradise

And I just came down to say
Merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
I just wanna say, merry Christmas baby
And happy New Year, too!
Oh yeah!
Play it boys, go!
Merry Christmas
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-happy New Year
Ohhhh!

Oh yeah!
Merry Christmas baby!

Every Human has Rights

Learn more about the news on Every Human has Rights

Trip to London 2011

As you are so excited about our trip, enter these pages to get into touch our stay there:

Weather in London
10 London Attractions
British Museum
Natural History Museum
The London Eye
The Tower of London

Buckingham Palace
Madame Tussaud Museum: Students' pack and the Sculptor's Blog
Hyde Park
Oxford Street web and Oxford St. Sensation
London Planner
London Guide to download
Candem Town Market

Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC

Thanksgiving Story or How to Make a Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving Day

They spent two months at sea to reach a strange world, and barely survived when they got there.
Learn how Pilgrims reached there and lived there to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Voyage on the Mayflower
Daily Life
Thanksgiving Feast
Become a Thanksgiving expert with this webquest.

The Shelter Effect

We live in a global community and it is our responsibility to help each other. We are aware of our place in this world, and how floods, earthquakes and other disasters affect us. No matter where we live, no matter who we are. We need shelter. Now answer these questions:
- Should we act or wait for the rest to make decisions?
- Should we take part in some ONGs to help?
Think about it, and we'll talk in class next week.

Used to

We use 'used to' for something that happened regularly in the past but no longer happens.
•I used to smoke a packet a day but I stopped two years ago.
•Ben used to travel a lot in his job but now, since his promotion, he doesn't.
•I used to drive to work but now I take the bus.

We also use it for something that was true but no longer is.
•There used to be a cinema in the town but now there isn't.
•She used to have really long hair but she's had it all cut off.
•I didn't use to like him but now I do.

'Used to do' is different from 'to be used to doing' and 'to get used to doing'

to be used to doing
We use 'to be used to doing' to say that something is normal, not unusual.
•I'm used to living on my own. I've done it for quite a long time.
•Hans has lived in England for over a year so he is used to driving on the left now.
•They've always lived in hot countries so they aren't used to the cold weather here.

to get used to doing
We use 'to get used to doing' to talk about the process of something becoming normal for us.
•I didn't understand the accent when I first moved here but I quickly got used to it.
•She has started working nights and is still getting used to sleeping during the day.
•I have always lived in the country but now I'm beginning to get used to living in the city.

Now try these exercises to get the context:

Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Exercise 4

Halloween?

Halloween, celebrated each year on October 31, is a mix of ancient Celtic practices, Catholic and Roman religious rituals and European folk traditions that blended together over time to create the holiday we know today. Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity and life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition.
Halloween has long been thought of as a day when the dead can return to the earth, and ancient Celts would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these roaming ghosts. The Celtic holiday of Samhain, the Catholic Hallowmas period of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day and the Roman festival of Feralia all influenced the modern holiday of Halloween.
In the 19th century, Halloween began to lose its religious connotation, becoming a more secular community-based children's holiday. Although the superstitions and beliefs surrounding Halloween may have evolved over the years, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people can still look forward to parades, costumes and sweet treats to usher in the winter season.

Have fun with the Origines of Halloween.

Are you brave enough to play this interactive Halloween Game?

Halloween Games

Trick or treat?

Can you match the spooky Halloween words and creatures from British Council?

Play the Hounted house level 1 or level 2 and make your magic spells.

Perhaps you know about famous witches and wizards in films and literature;

test your knowledge about them.

Wordbook form VOA

Discover English! Open the

Interactive Wordbook

to hear English words and their definitions. Each word has a definition and example sentences so you can hear the word and its meaning.

What about the USA

We always think about United Kingdom, let's talk about the USA and how much you know about this country. Play the games and learn about the states!
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
Game 4

To know about culture, flag, anthem, quick facts...enter the Gov.Page

Learning Jessica's Language

This year we have the pleasure to listen to an American English speaking teacher so after classes we can go on learning a bit more with USA learns. It is a free site to improve the basic skills: reading, writing, speaking and life skills. You can select your level and save your work and progress if you register.

Octopus Paul Retires!

One of the stars of the South Africa World Cup is retiring - Paul the predicting octopus!

Paul lives at an aquarium in Germany and correctly predicted the results of all seven of Germany's games as well as the Spain v Netherlands final.

When the tournament ended, staff presented him with his own model of the World Cup trophy, complete with treats.

But now the aquarium says Paul will now retire to do what he likes best - play with his handlers and delight visitors.

Have a go at CBBC Newsround World Cup quiz!

Spokeswoman Tanja Munzig said: "He won't give any more oracle predictions - either in football, nor in politics, lifestyle or economy.

"Paul will get back to his former job, namely making children laugh."

During the tournament, Paul made his predictions by choosing a snack from one of two glasses that were put in his tank showing the flags of the sides playing.

(Via CBBC Newsround)

Asterix Geo Quiz!

Having reduced every European country to the state of a Roman province, Julius Caesar is having trouble keeping track of the names of all his new conquests! It's up to you to help by participating in a new game: the Asterix Geo Quiz!
Your mission is to locate, on a map, 15 antique cities selected randomly among more than one hundred. You'll realize that the number of towns and cities mentioned in the Asterix albums actually boggles the mind and that the names of them are not as easy to remember as you might imagine!
Take care in forming your answers; an encounter with the pirates is always a possibility.... Above all, be careful not to ruffle any feathers when asking the natives about the exact location of Alesia: we have seen more than one person lose their temper for less.

May Toutatis be with you!

The Great Chicken Run Escape

Have you noticed the similarities?

Enjoy this video and next week we'll work about the animated film.

Again with Real English

Hi, here we are again. After so long I want to show you a new resource to make your learning funnier and more effective. It is a video and grammar programme, its name is Real English.

How to use Real English (for example in chapter 6 about introductions)

1 - Watch the video without subtitles.
2 - Do all the Exercises.
3 - Come back to the previous page.
4 - Watch the video with English Subtitles. Use the Pause button. People speak fast!
Problems? See support or ask your question in Facebook if you like.

Important: watch & listen to a video many times before reading, & before watching with subtitles. Your pronunciation will be much better!

See you next year!!

We Love Football Too!!!

If you want to know everything about next Championship in South Africa enter the Official Website of SAFA (South Africa Football Association) or the Gateway to the Nation 2010. There you will find:

Fan Guide
Image gallery

Meet the official mascot

Learn about the history of soccer in this country

Practice the Diski Dance

Elllo's Football

As we have learnt, Elllo is a listening practice web for those who have some problems when listening (see last Monday's test) so please enter this link and enjoy this top news about football and how important it is for children in Ghana
Remember you can choose to revise with a vocabulary quiz, reading quiz, even a speaking quiz!

Peter's Gabriel's Don't Give Up

Lyrics | Peter Gabriel lyrics - Don't Give Up lyrics

Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares to You

Lyrics | Sinéad O'Connor lyrics - Nothing Compares To You lyrics

Goldilocks and the three Bears

Sometimes we need to remember those stories we liked when we were child, this is one of my favourite, and you can read at the same time you listen to the characters thanks to BBC Wales.

But if what you want to do is play games, colour pages, read the introduction to the story... as you can see on the picture, you have to click on the menu link.

Speaking Gambits

Speaking Gambits

When we have to face an oral exam, there are some tips on speaking you should keep in mind. But apart of these, be yourself and try to talk about something you like and you feel comfortable, this way you'll enjoy the experience!

International Day for Biodiversity

Biodiversity is our life: 2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) by the United Nations.
Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It is essential for sustaining the natural living systems or ecosystems that provide us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and other vital services.
Humans are part of this biodiversity too and have the power to protect or destroy it. Currently, our activities are destroying biodiversity at alarming rates. These losses are irreversible, impoverish us all and damage the life support systems we rely on. But we can prevent them.

Enter the National History Museum for the celebrations,

such as the Young Darwin Video Prize,

see all the species of the day,

learn about the endangered species,

climate change,

loss of habitat,

economic impact

and invasive species.

And, of course, learn about how to classify animals What makes a mammal a mammal, or a bird a bird? Click on the buttons to learn more!
And if you look for fun play the endangered animals game.

Identifying Colours

Fran is a new student in our class and he needs to revise some vocabulary. So we are trying some materials about words, numbers, colours....

For example the number circus or the image above showing a game in which you have to drag the letters into the square in the correct order to form colour words.

Have a try and good luck!

I'm Mad as Hell

We find unacceptable that close one billion people are chronically hungry.Through the United Nations, we call upon governments to make the elimination of hunger their top priority until this goal is reached

Put pressure on politicians to end hunger. Sign our petition, and push for action wherever you are.

What is hunger?
Why is there hunger?
Who are the hungry?
What can be done?
Stories about hunger

UK Parliament

Yesterday people in UK had to vote to elect their new government as in all democracies.

But what do you know about the Parliament,

its functions,

its placement and history?

The main work of Parliament is to make laws, debate topical issues and look at how our taxes are spent to help run the country. The issues that are discussed in Parliament affect us all: health, the environment, transport, jobs, schools, crime. For instance, Parliament has recently debated and voted on how long people arrested on suspicion of terrorism can be held without being charged.

The Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, is in the centre of London. As well as the home of the UK Parliament, it is also a royal palace and former residence of great kings. The Palace comprises many famous sites including the green-coloured House of Commons Chamber and the red-coloured House of Lords Chamber where political decisions are made to this day. It also includes the famous Clock Tower, popularly known as Big Ben.

The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws. In 1215, the tenants-in-chief secured the Magna Carta from King John, which established that the king may not levy or collect any taxes (except the feudal taxes to which they were hitherto accustomed), save with the consent of his royal council, which slowly developed into a parliament.
In 1265, Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester summoned the first elected Parliament. The franchise in parliamentary elections for county constituencies was uniform throughout the country, extending to all those who owned the freehold of land to an annual rent of 40 shillings (Forty-shilling Freeholders).
In the boroughs, the franchise varied across the country; individual boroughs had varying arrangements. This set the scene for the so-called "Model Parliament" of 1295 adopted by Edward I. By the reign of Edward II, Parliament had been separated into two Houses: one including the nobility and higher clergy, the other including the knights and burgesses, and no law could be made, nor any tax levied, without the consent of both Houses as well as of the Sovereign.

More info:

An illustrated Guide,

Whiteboard resources,

Games,

Your guide to what happens in Westminster and how it affects YOU

Texting Eclipses Calling

'Texting eclipses calling' among US teenagers.

Texting is more popular among girls than boys, the survey showed Texting has become the most popular form of communication among young people in the US, research indicates.

The study, by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, suggests that texting has eclipsed mobile phone calls among teenagers for the first time.

More than 30% of teens send more than 100 texts a day, it shows.

Researchers say more payment plans offering unlimited texts have helped to create the surge in the US, which used to lag other parts of the world.

Continue reading .... and say if this is your case leaving some comments below.

Have a look on this list of texting abbreviations!

What do you know about 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.

Take Care of our World

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future...

So Take Action

Eating out

Click on the image to enlarge

Verb Tenses. Treasure Hunt

BBC Skillwise offers you the great opportunity to enjoy this treasure hunt using verb tenses. Are you brave enough to do it? Enter the web and have fun.

How to play.
Choose a level

More Clothes Practice

(Click on the image to enlarge)

Now try some other games in this web site and HAVE FUN!

Passive or Active Voice

Make a choice by clicking on the radio button, then compare it with the correct answer hidden under the answer button.

1. Everybody ___ by the terrible news yesterday.
a.shocked
b.was shocked

Go on with the test

If you want more about this topic.

What Are You Wearing?

Do you remember clothes vocabulary? Try to revise it with these photos.

And now try these games:

Find the pairs
Monkey's Squash
Identify the clothes

Face Match

Practise listening to English with British Council Face Match. Listen to the descriptions and find the right person!

How to play: Read or listen to a description of a person. You'll see six faces. Which is the right person? Click on the face and then click on 'choose' to see if you are correct.

Hägar

Click on the image to enlarge