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 the following video.

Pancake Day

Dear Students,

Today is Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, which is a special day celebrated in many countries around the world. On this day many people eat pancakes. If you want to know more about Pancake Day, and learn how to make pancakes, visit the following websites:

• Reading and recipe
• Reading and listening exercises
• More exercises

Man On Wire

Man on Wire tells the story of a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit who, on August 7th, 1974, stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between the New York World Trade Center’s twin towers.

This documentary incorporates Petit’s personal footage to show how he overcame the challenges to achieve "the artistic crime of the century".

For more information, visit: www.manonwire.com

When did you start learning English?

Seven famous football players, including Didier Drogba and Petr Cech, are interviewed about their life in England and learning English. Watch the video and read the transcript to find out what they said.

So, when did YOU start learning English? As usual, drop a comment below.

Intermedio: Friendship

We've been talking about friendship over the last couple of weeks. I'm sure you're familiar with the BBC Learning English Series, The Flatmates. Why not try doing the following exercises on the subject of friendship?

1) The Episode: First of all, listen to the episode.
2) Language Point: Now read a list of vocabulary about the different aspects of a friendship.
3) The Quiz: Finally, try a quiz about the language point.

Are you good at singing? Perhaps you'd like to try to sing along to the following karaoke song about friendship, or ask a friend to sing with you. Good luck!

World Cup 2014

Get ready for the World Cup by watching the animated histories of the teams.

You can also read about the anti-World Cup protests.

You can also listen to a fantastic podcast episode about Pele and "the beautiful game" in Brazil.

So, are you for or against the celebration of the World Cup in Brazil? As usual, leave your comments below.

Intermedio: First Conditional and Future Time Clauses

Hi everyone!

If you want more information on the First Conditional, listen to this episode of "The Flatmates". Then, read this information on the First Conditional, and finally, try this quiz.

And here are some more exercises:
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

You can visit the following websites in case you want to learn more about Future Time Clauses.
Theory
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Finally, here is a fantastic song by Leonard Cohen. If you listen carefully, you will find a lot of examples of the First Conditional.


If you want to read the lyrics, click here.

Avanzado 2: Exit through the gift shop

If you want to find out more about grafitti artists and the world of street art, I recommend watching the following documentary. Enjoy!

Avanzado 2: Soap Operas

Visit the following websites if you want to find out more about soap operas: 

• BBC Learning English: Soap Operas 
• How soap operas changed the world

Year 3: Halloween

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death.
Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes.

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If you want to find out more about Halloween, you can visit this website.
You can do the following reading exercise. It might be very useful if you are thinking of buying a house.

Happy Halloween!

Year 5: The New Catacomb

Do you want to hear a scary story? Follow the illustrations and listen carefully as the story develops. This story is called 'The New Catacomb' and was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Vocabulary is provided during the story, and there is a quick quiz at the end. If you want to read the unabridged story, visit the following website.

Happy Halloween!

Year 5: 127 HOURS

Below you can watch the trailer of the film 127 hours we talked about briefly last week. I'm sure you can identify some of the vocabulary you came across in the listening exercise I sent you. Click here if you want more information about the incredible story of Aron Ralston.

The most common mistakes in English. Lesson 1

Dear Students,

Watch the following video in case you want to know more about common mistakes in English. There are more videos like this on Youtube and I think you can subscribe to the lessons too. I hope you find this information useful.

Third Conditional / Ironic

Some extra information and exercises on the Third Conditional:

Theory
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Also, I would like you to watch this video and do the exercises.

Second Conditional / If I were a boy

If you still want to do some extra exercises on the second conditional, check out these websites:

Theory
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Now listen to the song If I were a boy by Beyoncé, and try to do this exercise. You will find many examples of the second conditional. Good luck!

Year 3: Present Perfect Continuous

Hi everyone!

In case you need extra practice on the Present Perfect Continuous, here are a few websites that you might find interesting:

Theory
Since and for
Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect / Present Perfect Continuous 1
Present Perfect / Present Perfect Continuous 2
Quiz

You can find a lot of examples of the Present Perfect Continuous in this song by The Rasmus. Listen to the song and then do this exercise. You can check your answers here.

Interview with Frank Abagnale

Frank Abagnale, portrayed in Spielberg's Catch Me if You Can, and now an FBI security expert, explains the dangers of identity theft for Facebook users.

Click here to watch the interview and read the article.

Passive / Reported Speech / Relative Clauses

Try to find examples of passive sentences in the song Amazing, by George Michael.

Now read the rules and do the exercises.

Passive voice:Theory
Passive (various tenses)
Active or passive

Revise your relative sentences with the following exercises:

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Reported speech: Rules
More rules
Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Here's a revision of all the grammar points of lesson 6.

Good luck!

Year 2: Halloween

Have you ever been so scared you were shaking like a leaf? What are you scared of and why?

Watch this video and find out what some people in London said.

Now watch this video if you want to learn some idioms of fear. You can make your comments below.

Happy Halloween!!!

Year 2: Present simple / family

If you want to revise some of the vocabulary from lesson 1, watch the following video and then do the exercises below.

Family quiz.

Personality adjectives: games.