sábado, 31 de marzo de 2012

April Fool's Day

What's April Fool's Day?

April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries on April 1. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes. The day is marked by  funny jokes, hoaxes on friends, family members, teachers, neighbours, etc.

Traditionally, in some countries such as Canada, New Zealand or the UK the jokes only last till noon. Elsewhere, such as in Greece, France, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and the U.S., the jokes last all day. In France and Italy children traditionally tack paper fish on each other's back as a trick and shout "april fish!" in their local language ("poisson d'avril!" in French, for instance).

The earliest recorded association between April 1 and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392). In Spain, an equivalent date is December 28.

If you want to read about famous hoaxes in history, click the image above.
                                                                                                                                                            

domingo, 18 de marzo de 2012

Comparatives and superlatives: 2nd ESO

In unit 6, we've already studied how to form comparatives and superlatives in English. You have to revise for next test so we've prepared several online exercises . First, let's watch two videos explaining the rules (just to check you remember) and after that, you can practise by doing the exercises.
Comparatives: explanation



Superlatives: explanation

sábado, 17 de marzo de 2012

ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St Patrick's Day, the festival of the patron saint of Ireland, is celebrated each year on 17 March. Unlike most other national days, St Patrick's Day is celebrated around the world.
It is the day when supposedly a man called St. Patrick died.
Today a lot of people around the world worship this dead man. They dress up like leprechauns wishing for luck and getting drunk with green beer.
Shamrocks have become the central symbol of St. Patrick’s Day. It is a three-leafed plant, used to illustrate the Christian teaching of ‘three divine persons’ (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) in the one God.
The large-scale big parades for St Patrick are celebrated all over the world in big cities such as Boston, Dublin, Belfast or in Fanore on the west coast of Ireland,  a tiny village with no real centre except an isolated church and one or two pubs
St Patrick's Day is the traditional day for the finals of the schools cups for rugby, Gaelic football and football. These finals attract large crowds and television audiences.
Do you really know who St. Patrick was?
Have you ever wondered why this holiday is so popular?
Why is this holiday filled with shamrocks, leprechauns and luck?
How do people celebrate this day…, what do they do…., what do they eat…??
Watch the following video and you’ll be able to answer all these questions

miércoles, 14 de marzo de 2012

What do people do to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day?

St. Patrick's Day was established as a way to recognise Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.  This festivity is also now practised by many people throughout the world with food, drink and all things green.



What is Saint Patrick's Day? Listen and do the following exercises.


Would you like to know what people do to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? Watch the video and find out. 





domingo, 4 de marzo de 2012

Animals Unit 5 (1st ESO)

We have studied the animals in unit 5.
To expand your vocabulary click on the different types of animals and you can read their names and listen to the pronunciation.












Click hero to download



You also have the possibility of doing these crosswords





sábado, 3 de marzo de 2012

Present Perfect 3rd ESO: adverbs!!




It's time to review present perfect again. After studying unit 5, it's necessary to check what you know and revise for next exam. Here you've got several exercises in which you can practise the use of present perfect or past simple and some adverbs with the present perfect.


Let's start with the present perfect vs simple past:    Exercise 1    Exercise 2    

Adverbs used with the present perfect: already/yetalready/yet/justfor/since

jueves, 1 de marzo de 2012

Celebrate all things Welsh on St David's Day

Cymru Am Byth!

St David’s Day is the national day of Wales, celebrated on 1st March in honour of the Welsh patron saint Dewi Sant (St David) who died on this date in 589AD.
Welsh people across the world celebrate St David’s Day and wear a leek or daffodil, which are the national symbols for Wales, to mark the day. But that’s not the only way the Welsh celebrate their national day; across Wales there are lots of parades and festivities taking place, too.
Here are 5 ways to celebrate St David’s Day:

1. Watch the Annual St David’s Day Parade in Cardiff, South Wales
Started 10 years ago, the annual St David’s Day Parade takes place on 1st March in the compact capital city of Cardiff. The big and bright parade weaves its way through a decorated city centre and features giant figures of St David, the Red Dragon and Owain Glyndw. Spectators line the streets and follow the colourful banners, St David flags, Welsh fiddlers, giant daffodils and dancers before gathering for a rendition of the Welsh National Anthem.
The parade is the first event in the Cardiff St David’s Festival, which also includes a St David’s Day market, Welsh dinner at Ffresh and concerts in St David’s Hall and Wales Millennium centre

2. Eat a Welsh cake hot off the bakestone, South Wales
These traditional little cakes are a real teatime treat and St David’s Day is the perfect excuse to indulge. You can buy them at Fabulous Welshcakes  in Cardiff Bay where they’re cooked fresh on the bakestone in front of you. If you’re not in Wales, have a go at making them yourself using this traditional Welsh cake recipe.

3. Free entry to house tours at Plas Newydd Country House & Gardens, North Wales
To celebrate St David’s Day on 1st March you can get a free tour of the the National Trust’s Plas Newydd Country House if you turn up wearing a daffodil. Set in beautiful grounds, this elegant house on the shores of the Menai Strait in North Wales commands glorious views of Snowdonia and Anglesey. Take a tour of this impressive house to see its fine 1930s interiors and famous Rex Whistler paintings.

4. Visit St Davids the UK’s smallest city, West Wales
Take a short break in the city which is named after the Welsh patron saint St David, which also happens to be the UK’s smallest city. St David’s population is just over 1,600 and it’s located on the far south west coast of Pembrokeshire surrounded by stunning scenery. A top attraction is the magnificent Cathedral of St Davids where St David is buried. It became a popular place of pilgrimage and it was said that two pilgrimages to St David’s equalled one to Rome.

5. Celebrate Welsh culture & heritage at St David’s Week Swansea, West WalesA one of its kind week-long festival in the city of Swansea to celebrate all things Welsh. It’s the perfect time to discover Swansea’s many attractions as the city celebrates Welsh culture and traditions with musical concerts at Swansea Grand Theatre, Welsh films and dancing in Brangwyn Hall and Celtic traditions at the Gower Heritage Centre.




to find out more, visit: http://www.visitbritainsuperblog.com/2012/02/celebrate-all-things-welsh-on-st-davids-day/