ESO-4 Europass

Today we have been learning how to make our own Curriculum Vitae in English using the Europass website. Even though we have been using fake data, we have learnt to use the most important aspects of this interesting tool.

https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/editors/en/cv/compose

This page lets you write your CV in different European languages, download a pdf version or upload it at the Europass site.

PEL session

Today we have had a session in which we tried to learn how to use and benefit from the Portfolio. The E-PEL site has been designed to let us control and improve our knowledge of languages. 

Everything is taken into account: what we do at school and what we do outside school. Therefore we can also do many things to improve our English in and out of our classes.

This is the presentation that we saw in class.

ETwinning project: The Voice of Europe

http://etwinningvoiceofeurope.blogspot.com

This year we are going to start a new project in the bilingual groups in ESO-3 and ESO-4. the aim is to write a paper and online newspaper in cooperation with our partners from both Poland and Lithuania. So far only the Polish school is in the project but the Lithuanian school will surely sign into it one of these days.

• This is the website where you will find our magazine and its contents. 
• This is the Twinblog.
• And this is the Twinspace.

The European Day of Languages

The European Day of Languages is celebrated every year on the 26th of September. The European Commission has prepared some activities for schools to promote awareness of the richness of knowing several languages and being able to communicate with as many people as possible. This is part of our European cultural heritage.

This is the official site where you can find more information about this date.

 

And if you want to learn a lot more, the European Commission has elaborated a number of documents that highlight different aspects about multilingual diversity in Europe. Just have a look.

CLIL teaching in seccións bilingües

CLIL teaching is a way of learning a foreign language while learning a subject taught in this language. Traditional EFL methodology failed to let students use the new language in realistic contexts. CLIL lets us both learn it and use it at the same time. However, as the CLIL teacher is not a second language teacher, specific focus on form (grammar, vocabulary, essay writing...) is required.

Our seccións bilingües try to let our students enjoy CLIL methodology in order to learn English. Even though this may seem an extra effort, it doesn't have to be necessarily so as teachers know what to expect and how to solve those specific problems that most students encounter. In fact CLIL classes tend to be more active, communicative and use tasks more frequently.

If you want to learn more about CLIL there are specific websites with lots of information you may read:

• David Marsh's booklet is short and very good
• The European Commission's views about CLIL
• The Goethe Institute has some general information.

ESL / EFL tips for learning English more effectively

picture by Luana Fischer-Banco Imágenes ITE

The summer is a good time to try and improve the way you are learning a language. There is some advice that you might find useful in "10 Tips for Language Learning success". This is a summary of these 10 important tips: 

1. Set realistic expectations . Don't try to learn more than it is reasonable to do. Be realistic and set goals that you can finally achieve.
2. Break study time into smaller chunks. Shorter periods of study time are more effective than longer periods, so try to find short periods for your study time several times a day or between other school subjects you have to study..
3. Learn vocabulary effectively. Vocabulary is essential in any language, use different techniques that might help you: flash cards, a notebok, dictionaries, etc.
   
4. Practice language actively, read texts and vocabulary orally or aloud because speaking helps a lot.
5. Do homework conscientiously. Homework can be useful if you spend some extra time, look up new words, pay attention, etc.
6. Form study groups. Work with your classmates to practice the language. All of you will benefit from one another.
   
7. Identify your learning style. Every person learns differently, maybe you are better at grammar, learning vocabulary... or you remember things that you see better than those that you hear. Just identify your style and make the most of it. This website provides a questionnaire that might help you find your learning style.
   
8. Maximaze your language exposure. Be in contact with English as much as possible: DVDs, television, songs, speaking to foreigners...
   
9. Spend time on task, don't waste any time, try to do extra activities for learning English whenever you have finished the activity you are supposed to do.
10. Communicate with your instructor. If you have a teacher, make the most of it. Don't concentrate on marks, try to learn.

Work for the first week of June

During the first week of June, if you have the opportunity of using the computer room, you should try to complete your e-PEL (your electronic Portfolio) with your English Learning information:

• This is the presentation that tells you how to do it
• This is the e-PEL site

Then you can also have a look at the eTwinning website to see what has been done in the preoject this year and you are invited to write your comments.