AULD LAND SYNE

Considered the "New Year Anthem" of the English speaking world, "Auld Lang Syne" is actually a Robert Burns poem put to a folk melody.

Here's a cute version of Auld Lang Syne. I hope you enjoy it! I really do!



And here's a version for grown ups. It's a karaoke version.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Most people make new year's resolutions by the end of a year. Do you ever make new year's resolutions? Which ones? Have you made new year's resolutions for the coming year? Which ones? You can give your answers in the comment section.

Here's a listening activity. Go to the link and follow the instructions.

IMPRESSIVE LIGHT DISPLAY

Imagine your neighbours put lots of lights up as outdoor Xmas decoration ... and the music playing loud with the display...

Watch this video.

WHAT IS THE DUMBEST (CHRISTMAS) PRESENT YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?

Have you ever received a present that made you think "What can I do with this?" or "Is this a joke?
I'm sure you have all got a funny or weird present at some point in your lives. Use the comment section and tell us what is the strangest or funniest present you have ever received.

PRESENT PERFECT

Here's a Xmas present. Check these links out and do the activities online. You have to choose the correct tense: either past simple or present perfect.

Link 1
Link 2

JINGLE BELL ROCK

If you like singing, you can sing alone with this one. The vocabulary is also interesting, so have a go with it!



MERRY CHRISTMAS

WANT TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH?

LEARN A LANGUAGE

REVISION: past simple vs past continuous

Dear All,

Here's a link where you can practise these two tenses.

Tara

REVISION: past simple

Watch the video. Then click on the link and do the activities.

PRESENT PERFECT

Hi there,

This week we have learned to use the present perfect. Now you need to consolidate what we've done in class. I hope you find these links useful:

What do you do?
I'm a sailor.
Have you ever worked on a submarine?
No, I can't sleep with the windows closed.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5
Link 6
and finally...
Link 7

Tara

Hey Diddle, Diddle

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Here's the Sesame Street version we watched in class:



And here's another one, just in case you have liked it :-)



Remember that this is good practice to improve your pronunciation!

THANKSGIVING

Thursday, 27th November 2008

It's THANKSGIVING DAY!

It is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is primarily a North American holiday which has generally become a national secular holiday with religious origins.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members.

If you want to learn more about Thanksgiving, go to this website.

AFTER-SCHOOL JOBS

WARM-UP

1. What are the most popular jobs students normally take?

LISTENING

Listen to this recording and answer the following questions:

1. How old was she when she took her first job?
2. Where did she work?
3. How long did she work there?
4. Why did she look for a job?
5. Where was her next job? How old was she?
6. Why did she have to work so much?
7. When she was a senior at high school, where did she start working?
8. Why was this job better?
9. When did she work as a waiter?
10. Why was this job OK for her?

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

WARMING-UP

1. How many different jobs can you list in English? I'm sure there are some jobs you don't know how to say in English, so look them up in the dictionary!

LISTENING

1. Now watch the following video and write down all the different jobs mentioned in the video. Then check them with the subtitles.



FOLLOW-UP
1. Now click on this link and do the follow-up activities.

WHAT DID YOU DO YESTERDAY?

LEAD-IN

What did you do yesterday? Do you remember? I went to the beach to walk my dog. It was a really nice day so I really enjoyed it.

Now listen to the following video (www.real-english.com) and write down what each of the speaker says.

What did you do yesterday? A Real English Classic
by realdogswimming

Then check your answers (I'll send you the script).

JOBS

Do you want to widen your vocabulary on jobs? Here's a good link where you can work on your own. Notice that it gets harder and harder as you complete each link.

IT'S REMEMBRANCE DAY

Remembrance day is on 11th November. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. People wear a red poppy in memory of those who sacrificed their lives during the wars.

STORY: The fox and the crow

Dear students,

Here's a good link where you can listen to (and read) a story mainly told in the past simple, although there are other tenses used.

Before you start reading it, think about the title, The Fox and the Crow. Do you know these two animals? Do you know this story? If so, what is it about?. Then listen to it and answer these questions:

1. Where did the crow get the piece of cheese from?
2. How did the fox notice the piece of cheese?
3. How did the crow react when the fox praised him?
4. What did the fox ask the crow to do?
5. In the end, who is the clever one? Why?

Finally, read it again and identify those verbs in the past simple and past continuous.

JOKE (past simple)

There was a man who wanted to prove his love to his wife. So he climbed the highest mountain, swam the deepest ocean and walked the biggest desert.
What do you think his wife said?

She didn't! She divorced him for never being at home.

GUY FAWKES DAY!

November 5th marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to blow up the English Parliament and King James I in 1605, the day set for the king to open Parliament. The anniversary was named after Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the conspirators.
The story is remembered each 5th November when 'Guys' are burned in a celebration known as 'Bonfire Night'.

New link

Hi everybody,

I have just added a new link for you to practise vocabulary, grammar and reading and pronunciation. It's called VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR.

Hope you like it!

The regular past -ed ending

Dear students,
Here's a link where you can practise the -ed ending or regular verbs in the past.

I hope it helps.

NB I've just found another link which might help you.

DON'T USE THIS CRIB SHEET

FLY ME TO THE MOON, by Frank Sinatra

I hope you enjoy this song by Frank Sinatra, one of the best voices ever! You've got the lyrics so it is even easier to understand.It goes quite well with a rainy day!

JOKE

How To Bathe The Cat

1. Thoroughly clean toilet.

2. Lift both lids and add shampoo.

3. Find and soothe cat as you carry him to bathroom.

4. In one swift move, place cat in toilet, close both lids and stand on top, so cat cannot escape.

5. The cat will self-agitate and produce ample suds. (Ignore ruckus from inside toilet; cat is enjoying this.)

6. Flush toilet three or four times. This provides power rinse, which is quite effective.

7. Have someone open outside door, get on top of the tank and quickly lift both lids.

8. Clean cat will rocket out of the toilet and outdoors, where he will air dry.

From The Dog

GRAMMAR REVISION

Dear All,

This link might be useful in order to revise some of the grammatical contents studied last year, and of course, you can go ahead with the pre-intermediate ones too! Click on the elementary level (the red book) to brush up on your grammar. You can then move on to the pre-intermediate level, (the blue book). But don't be too ambitious, you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew!
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/englishfile/

SUBJECT QUESTION: A subject question asks about the subject of the sentence. Do NOT change the word order of the question.
ANSWER:
Gina is fixing the computer.
QUESTION:
Who is fixing the computer?
ANSWER:
An accident happened last week.
QUESTION:
What happened last week?

Now it's your turn. Make questions for these answers:

1. _____________________________? The doctor is working with the nurse.
2. _____________________________? The repairman worked on the computer yesterday.
3. _____________________________? I bought a nice present for Stacey.
4. _____________________________? I got here at 2o'clock.
5. _____________________________? I seldom meet my friends in Madrid.

KEY

1. Who is working with the nurse?

2. Who worked on the computer yesterday?

3. What did you get? (Other answers are also possible)

4. When did you get here?

5. How often do you meet your friends in Madrid?

STILL MORE PRACTICE

Write the questions:
1. ____________________________________________
Yes, I speak French when I am in France.
2. ____________________________________________
Yes, the students like listening to trance music.
3. ____________________________________________
No, we don’t watch TV on Saturday mornings.
4. ____________________________________________
Yes, she goes to bed before 12 o’clock during the week.
5. ____________________________________________
No, he doesn’t call me all the time.

KEYS

1. Do you speak French when you are in France?
2. Do the students like listening to trance music?
3. Do you watch TV on Saturday mornings?
4. Does she go to bed before 12 o’clock during the week?
5. Does he call you all the time?

SIMPLE PRESENT

Complete the sentences with the verbs below. Use the Present Simple.

study  watch  not play  go  juggle
drink  eat  do  not ride  not sell

1. Alex usually ____________ the performers from his shop.
2. Brian ____________ at university almost every day.
3. Most people ____________ unicycles.
4. ____________ Mrs Brown often ____________ her lunch at the market?
5. Alex ____________ clothes in his shop. He sells jewellery.
6. Every Friday, John and his friends ____________ coffee in the café.
7. The magician ____________ clever tricks.
8. He ____________ the guitar very well.
9. ____________ you often ____________ to the market?
10. The performer ____________ seven balls.

KEYS
1. watches 3. don’t ride 5. doesn’t sell 7. does 9. Do ... go
2. studies 4. Does ... eat 6. drink 8. doesn’t play 10. juggles

SIMPLE PRESENT

1 Write questions.
1. How often / Mrs James / teach / English /
______________________________________
2. you / like / / live / in / Australia /
______________________________________
3. Who / have / the keys to the car /
______________________________________
4. How much / it / cost /
______________________________________
5. What / you / do / at the weekend.
______________________________________

KEYS

1. How often does Mrs James teach English?
2. Do you like living in Australia?
3. Who has the keys to the car?
4. How much does it cost?
5. What do you do at the weekend?