Quality label for our project

We have received the quality label for last year's work in East or West, Home is Best!

UK elections explained to non-Brits

from The Guardian

Modal verbs

MODAL VERBS
Modal verbs are commonly used verbs with some special characteristics:

1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.
• I can play football.
• My brother should go with you.
• She can't be serious about that.
2. They have their own negative and do not need "do".
• I shouldn't be late
• They can't drive.
• You couldn't swim when you were 3.
3. The don't have all the tenses other verbs have.
1. I will can go.- INCORRECT
2. They shoulded speak to her. - INCORRECT
4. They are always followed by another verb (bare infinitive)

Modal verbs from Ana Arias Castro

WHICH VERBS ARE MODAL?

• CAN / CAN'T
• MUST / MUSTN'T
• SHOULD / SHOULDN'T
• NEED / NEEDN'T
• SHALL / SHAN'T
• COULD / COULDN'T
• MAY / MAY NOT
• MIGHT / MIGHTN'T
• WILL / WON'T
• OUGHT TO

EXERCISES:

• can - can't
• can - could - be able to
• should - shouldn't 
• Exercise: can - must - should
• Exercise: must - don't have to
• Exercise: all modals: difficult
• Mistakes using modal verbs - difficult

Today's Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a US Federal Holiday. It commemorates civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It is celebrated on the third Monday in January and is one of only four United States Federal holidays to honor an individual person.

BIOGRAPHY
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He led non-violent protests to fight for the rights of all people including African Americans. He hoped that America and the world could become a colorblind society where race would not impact a person's civil rights. He is considered one of the great orators of modern times, and his speeches still inspire many to this day. 

CHILDHOOD
 Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA on January 15, 1929. He went to Booker T. Washington High School. He was so smart that he skipped two grades in high school. He started his college education at Morehouse College at the young age of fifteen. After getting his degree in sociology from Morehouse, Martin got a divinity degree from Crozer Seminary and then got his doctor's degree in theology from Boston University. Martin's dad was a preacher which inspired Martin to pursue the ministry. He had a younger brother and an older sister. In 1953 he married Coretta Scott. Later, they would have four children including Yolanda, Martin, Dexter, and Bernice. 

CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
In his first major civil rights action, Martin Luther King, Jr. led the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This started when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was arrested and spent the night in jail. As a result, Martin helped to organize a boycott of the public transportation system in Montgomery. The boycott lasted for over a year. It was very tense at times. Martin was arrested and his house was bombed. In the end, however, Martin prevailed and segregation on the Montgomery buses came to an end. 

'I HAVE A DREAM' SPEECH
In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to organize the famous "March on Washington". Over 250,000 people attended this march in an effort to show the importance of civil rights legislation. Some of the issues the march hoped to accomplish included an end to segregation in public schools, protection from police abuse, and to get laws passed that would prevent discrimination in employment. It was at this march where Martin gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. This speech has become one of the most famous speeches in history. The March on Washington was a great success. The Civil Rights Act was passed a year later in 1964. 

ASSASSINATION
 Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4. 1968 in Memphis, TN. While standing on the balcony of his hotel, he was shot by James Earl Ray. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. Photo by Ducksters 

INTERESTING FACTS

• King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday. 
• At the Atlanta premier of the movie Gone with the Wind, Martin sang with his church choir. 
• There are over 730 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King, Jr. 
• One of his main influences was Mohandas Gandhi who taught people to protest in a non-violent manner. 
• He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 
• The name on his original birth certificate is Michael King. This was a mistake, however. He was supposed to be named after his father who was named for Martin Luther, the leader of the Christian reformation movement. 
• He is often referred to by his initials MLK. 

Read more at: http://www.ducksters.com/biography/martin_luther_king_jr.php

New Year's Day

The New Year is widely celebrated in countries that share our calendar and, thus, start the New Year on the 1st of January every year.

In English-speaking countries most people sing "Auld Lang Syne" as the new year begins. This poem was composed by Scottish poet Robert Burns and was made popular by Scottish immigrants in Canada.

In the USA probably the most famous tradition is the dropping of the New Year ball in Times Square, New York City, at 11:59 P.M. Thousands of people watch the ball make its one-minute descent, arriving exactly at midnight. The tradition first began in 1907. 

There are other common traditions all over the world:

New Year's Resolutions: It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year's resolutions, and people all over the world have been breaking them ever since. The early Christians believed the first day of the new year should be spent reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself in the new year.

Fireworks: Noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring good luck. The Chinese are credited with inventing fireworks and use them to spectacular effect in their New Year's celebrations.

Read More:

• About traditions in many different countries
• Infoplease

Christmas at CPI Tino Grandío

Christmas trivia

Christmas 2016 from Ana Arias Castro

Revision for 3º ESO Exam

3º ESO

1. Revision of tenses
1. presentation
2. Dialogue asking for directions
3. some/any/how much/how many/a/an/a lot of
1. exercise
4. Essays

Revision tests

• unit 0
• unit 1
• unit 2

3ºSB-ESO

1. Revision of tenses
2. Definitions of words
3. Complete with some/any/no/a lot of/how much/how many
4. Essays

Neiu3 0-summary of tenses from Tino Grandio

Scott's presentation for Thanksgiving Day

First thanksgiving de Tino Grandio

Revision for the 4º ESO exam

1. Revision of tenses
• Presentation with exercise
• Summary of tenses
2. Comparatives and superlatives

• Revison of comparatives and exercises

1. Relative pronouns
• Revision of relative clauses
2. Essays (2 texts)

• Connectors

How to write a biography

A biography is simply the story of a life. Biographies can be just a few sentences long, or they can fill an entire book, or two.

• Very short biographies tell the basic facts of someone's life and importance. 
• Longer biographies include that basic information of course, with a lot more detail, but they also tell a good story.

Biographies analyze and interpret the events in a person's life. They try to find connections, explain the meaning of unexpected actions or mysteries, and make arguments about the significance of the person's accomplishments or life activities. Biographies are usually about famous, or infamous people, but a biograpy of an ordinary person can tell us a lot about a particular time and place. They are often about historical figures, but they can also be about people still living.

Many biographies are written in chronological order. Some group time periods around a major themeencyclopedia entry on biography (such as "early adversity" or "ambition and achievement" ). Still others focus on specific topics or accomplishments.

To write a biography you should:

• Select a person you are interested in
• Find out the basic facts of the person's life. 
• Start with the encyclopedia and almanac.
• Think about what else you would like to know about the person, and what parts of the life you want to write most about. 
• Some questions you might want to think about include: 
• What makes this person special or interesting? 
• What kind of effect did he or she have on the world? other people? 
• What are the adjectives you would most use to describe the person?  What examples from their life illustrate those qualities? 
• What events shaped or changed this person's life? 
• Did he or she overcome obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky? 
• Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn't lived? How and why? 
• Do additional research at your library or on the Internet to find information that helps you answer these questions and tell an interesting story

From http://www.factmonster.com/homework/wsbiography.html

eTwinning Project: East or West Home is Best

This year's eTwinning project is about places: where we are from, places we have visited and places we would like to visit.

• This is the link to the project. 
• And here you will be able to read what our project is about.

Our first activity will be to log in (as your teacher for your username and password) and introduce yourselves in this Padlet. You can use videos, photographs, text, etc.

2016 Halloween trivia

Halloween trivia 2016 from Ana Arias Castro

Halloween

SOME BASIC HALLOWEEN VOCABULARY

Halloween vocabulary presentation from Laia Almenara

MORE VOCABULARY

Halloween Vocabulary from English Village

LAST YEAR REID'S PRESENTATION

Halloween from Ana Arias Castro

San Froilán in Lugo

The origin of these celebrations in Lugo goes back to 1754. Since then they have become one of the most important festive occasions in Galicia.

From 4 to 12 October Lugo holds its San Froilán Fiestas, attracting thousands of visitors every year. Two of the days stand out especially within the festive programme: 5 October, with religious celebrations in honour of the patron saint, San Froilán; and the following Sunday, known as “O Domingo das Mozas”, which is dedicated to traditional Galician costumes and folklore. Over the course of these days there are a series of parades through the city, with "big-heads", brass bands, street markets and magic shows, juggling and street entertainment.

Children play a special role in the celebrations, with "San Froilanciño", a range of activities organised for the younger ones including traditional games, chess competitions, theatre productions and the International Puppet Festival, where you can see the oldest puppets in Spain. The fiestas come to an end 12 October with the Medieval Fair: the Cathedral square and the area around the Roman city wall are turned into a typical Medieval market, with an array of jongleurs, knights, demonstrations of falconry and traditional trades, and, of course, a medieval banquet is also held. In the evening, a stunning firework display brings the celebrations to a close until the following year.

from http://www.spainisculture.com/en/fiestas/lugo/fiestas_de_san_froilan.html

See you very soon!

Hello, Tino Grandío! 

Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Scott Shanahan, and I will be your auxiliar this year. I'm pleased to report that I am now officially here in Spain. I know we'll be meeting each other quite soon, but I just wanted to say hello, and that I can't wait to meet you all! 

Looking forward to a wonderful year,
Scott

P.S. Here are a few photos of my hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts. I thought you might like to see where I come from. We're a coastal town, and every year, tourists come from all over our state to visit our beaches, especially during the Fourth of July. 

Today's 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.

Here you are some interesting games and activities:

• Language Trivia
• Assess your language skills
• Language Facts
• Animal sounds in different European Languages
• Language Quiz
• Palindromes
• Longest words
• Tongue Twisters
• Idioms of the World

English language classes

This year in our classes:

You will need:

• The textbook
• Something to write with
• Some paper / notebook / folder / binder
• (advisable) a USB memory
• (advisable) to have an email account

You will:

• cover the syllabus
• do one oral class per week: role plays, simulations, debates, conversations, etc.
• read AT LEAST one book per term
• have one exam per term
• be responsible of your work and homework
• calculate your own mark in your exams
• (optional) send your book reports and some classroom activities to your teacher by email
• do many digital activities
• have many extra digital activities at your disposal
• often work in pairs and groups

You won't:

• have to show or hand your notebook in to the teacher
• have any "recuperaciones"
• have any repeated exams = each exam will be a new one

You mustn't

• cheat in your exams
• lie to your teacher 
• spoil the class material (wether yours or the school's)

Galician school year calendar