Matariki

Hi everybody,

Did you know that if you want to celebrate Matariki, the Maori New Year, you have to wait until June?

The Maori New Year is celebrated when the star cluster called "The Pleiades" rises in the north-east in the evening twilight. The precise date depends also on the moon, which is why it is not a fixed date.

If you want to find out more about Matariki, read the text and do the activities:

Matariki_Text

Matariki_Answers

An interesting website:

History of the Matariki Festival



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Year 4: Protests in Spain

If you want to read about the protests in Madrid and in other cities in Spain, here is a selection of media comments from the English-speaking world:

• BBC
• BBC_Video
• Huffingtonpost
• Guardian
• The Washington Post

Year 4: Intellectual property

Intellectual Property (including patents, trademarks and copyrights) was celebrated internationally on April 26th. This is very much a subject of debate these days. If you want to find out more about this topic, you can read the text below:

Intellectual Property_Text

Intellectual Property_Answers

During the last few sessions we have talked about advertising. I think it's an interesting topic, especially our relationship with advertising as cosumers. The following video gives us another perspective on the subject.

What is your opinion? Leave a comment below.

Year 4: In Troubled Spain

Read the following article:
In Troubled Spain

What do you think? You can leave your comments below.
Cheers

Year 4: Animals

Have you ever visited a zoo? Can you describe the main things you remember about the experience? What do you think about zoos in general? Can you come up with a list of pros and cons? Leave a comment.

In the text below you can read three differing opinions on the subject of zoos.

Zoos-Text

Zoos-Glossary

Zoos-Answers

If you want to learn more words related to the animal kingdom, visit the following websites:
National Geographic-Animals
Vocabulary-Animals

The dog in the picture is Hong Dong, a red Tibetan mastiff, which was recently bought for almost a million pounds. What is the reason for such a huge price tag? Read more.

Extra vocabulary exercise designed by my colleague Miguel Olivares.

Year 4: St Patrick's Day

March 17 is St. Patrick's Day, an annual feast which celebrates Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland.

If you want to learn about the history of St. Patrick and some other Irish traditions, watch this video.



Now you are ready to read this text to find out more about some Irish traditions.

And another video from History.com.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Year 4: International Women's Day

Among the many things that New Zealand is famous for, it was the first country to grant women the vote. Many of us take the right to vote (suffrage) for granted but today (International Women's Day), we focus on the courageous women who fought hard to achieve equal rights. And the battle doesn’t go as far back as some may think; Switzerland only achieved suffrage in 1971, while South Africa didn’t achieve it until as recently as 1994.

Read the following text to find out more about those women and their extraordinary stories.

Now check your answers.

To know more, check out the following websites:

• The Suffragettes
• The First International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911
• Some Gender Facts

In some countries, women still have to fight to get equal access to education. Video script

Year 4: Inventions

Today is the 164th anniversary of Thomas Edison's birth. He was an American inventor, scientist, and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.

Below you can read an article about the 10 top inventions that changed the world. If you want to vote for one of them as the best invention ever, you can do so by leaving a comment.

Top 10 Inventions

Year 4: Groundhog day

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.


And this is a clip from the comedy film Groundhog day.

Year 4: Mixed conditionals / Love in the first degree

I'm sure you want to find out more about mixed conditionals. Read this information, and then do the exercises.

Now you do this exercise and then watch the video. This song compares being in love to being in prison, so I'm sure you'll find lots of interesting legal expressions. I hope you enjoy it.

Year 4: Optimism and Pessimism / Third conditional

Do you think you are an optimist or a pessimist? Read the following text which features contrasting feelings of optimism and pessimism in the face of current economic, political, social and environmental issues.

Reasons to be cheerful_Text

Reasons to be cheerful_Glossary

Reasons to be cheerful_Answers

Now, take a look at the following sites:

- The website The Optimist, which specialises in ‘daily good news headlines’.

- A BBC article (2000) on medical research in the United States that suggested people with an optimistic outlook live longer.

If you want to revise conditional sentences, go through this Power Point presentation...

Conditionals

...now you are ready to do these exercises:

Theory

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Year 4: 21 accents

Like many other languages, spoken English has wide variation in its pronunciation. This variation is especially noticeable in English, because the language is spoken over such a wide territory: Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to being spoken as a first or second language by people in countries on every continent. Watch the video below. Can you identify the 21 different accents?

If you want to improve your pronunciation, check out the following websites:

BBC Pronunciation tips

Sounds of English

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

In December 1999, the 54th session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring November 25th the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The origins of November 25th go back to 1960, when the three Mirabal sisters from the Dominican Republic were violently assassinated for their political activism. The sisters, known as the Unforgettable Butterflies, became a symbol of the crisis of violence against women in Latin America. November 25th was the date chosen to commemorate their lives and promote global recognition of gender violence.

For more information, click here. If you want to read and listen to a text about violence against women, click here.

And now you can watch this ad, which is part of an initiative of the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect aimed at ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Australia's children.

Year 4: Guy Fawkes

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

This November 5th is Guy Fawkes' Night and it will be celebrated by people across the UK. This year is the 405th anniversary of Guy Fawkes' failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament, King James I and the entire English government.

Luckily, the plot failed but why do people in the UK continue to celebrate such a violent event more than 400 years after the actual attempt?

If you want to know more about the gunpowder plot, you can watch this BBC documentary:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Then do the crossword and play this game.

Do you want to know more about the history of the nursery rhyme? Check out this website.

Year 4: Halloween

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Do you know where the tradition of Halloween comes from? Watch this video and answer the questions.



Now you are ready to read a classic horror story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven (with a useful glossary) and watch the Simpsons version of this classic tale.

On this website, you'll find many more horror short stories. Enjoy!!!

Year 4: Question Tags / verbs + to INF / ING

Hello!!!

If you feel like revising the grammar points we've already studied, have a look at these websites:

Stative verbs
Listen to this episode of The Flatmates
Read the Language Point
Do the Quiz

Question tags
Theory
Exercise 1
Exercise 2

Verbs + to INF / ING
First of all, read this very interesting document.
If you want to find out more about changes in meaning, read this chart.
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4
Exercise 5