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

Practice Tests (PET)

Dear Students,

If you want to practise for the test, I recommend the following websites where you can download lots of interesting materials: 

• Englishaula.com (listening exercises)
• Flo-Joe (Reading, Writing, and Speaking exercises)

The following website is called "Exam English". When you open the links, go to the column on the left, where it says "Practice Tests".

• Reading and Writing
• Listening

starlights_

The Future

Below you can take another look at the Powerpoint presentation about the future we saw in class.



Now you can do a few exercises to practise what you have learned.

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3

Intermediate Podcasts

Dear Students:

Ky (CC BY 2.0)

Here's a list of podcasts you might want to use to improve your listening skills. For each episode there are activities that you can do. Good luck!

• Words in the News
• 6-minute English
• The English we speak
• Word on the street

A couple of podcasts that you can use in case you want to improve your pronunciation:

• Pronunciation
• English pronunciation

Guy Fawkes

Remember remember the fifth of November

Dominic Alves (CC BY 2.0)

Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

Guy Fawkes' Night is celebrated by people across the UK. The 5th November marks the 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, read this text and listen to the radio programme.

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

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!

Summer is coming

Dear Students,

BRIAN STABLYK, GETTY

As you know, summer is already upon us, and cultures all around the world celebrate the summer solstice. You can enjoy some beautiful photos of the celebrations here.

Don't forget to devote part of your free time to practising your English. You can do so by reading, watching films or TV programmes in English or, even better, talking to the many tourists that visit us during the summer.

Intermediate Students: you can start reading graded readers that correspond to the B2 level. Here's a list of recommended readers, and online resources: Intermediate List.

Advanced Students: you can read / watch virtually anything. Here's the list I sent you at the beginning of the year with a few more additions: Advanced List.

Have a great summer!

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.