Thursday 8 February 2024

Back to school!

                         

                                  School Year 2023-24




Sunday 14 January 2024

Oliver Twist

 BEFORE GOING TO THE THEATRE

THE STORY

Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse in England, in the early 1800s. His mother dies

after giving birth to him. He spends his first nine years in Mrs Mann’s workhouse,

where he isn’t clothed or fed properly and is treated badly. On Oliver’s ninth

birthday, Mr Bumble, the Director of the Board responsible for workhouses, takes

Oliver back to the workhouse where he was born. Here, he and the other boys are

fed each day on porridge. One day, Oliver is chosen to ask for more to eat and having

done so, is beaten and locked in a room for a week. Oliver is sold to an undertaker.

In this new home, he must eat the dog’s leftovers and sleep in the shop with the

coffins. He is treated very badly and runs away. He decides to make his way to

London where Oliver discovers that Rose is his aunt. Mr Brownlow adopts Oliver as

his son and they move to live near Rose, her husband, Harry, and Mrs Maylie.

1.  In pairs, students ask and answer the following questions. Or, you can ask the questions and

elicit the answers from the whole class.

a) What is a working-class family?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

b) What do you know about the life of a working-class child in England in the 19th

century?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

c) What do you think happened to poor orphans in the 19th century?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

Exercise 2

Here are four sentences from Oliver Twist. What do you think happens next? Finish the

sentences in your own words.

a) Oliver was a frightened boy because . . .

...........................................................................................................................

b) Fagin needed Oliver’s help in order to…

...........................................................................................................................

c) Oliver was trembling from cold and exhaustion and was in terrible pain because . . .

...........................................................................................................................


d) You are a poor orphan. Where would you live? What would you do?

2. .........................................................................................................................

3. .........................................................................................................................


AFTER GOING TO THE THEATRE

9. Hello again! Did you enjoy the show? Let’s see if you remember the story:

a) When does the story begin?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

b) Where does the story take place?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

c) Where does Oliver live?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

d) How old do you think Oliver is?

............................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................


 AFTER GOING TO THE THEATRE

9. Hello again! Did you enjoy the show? Let’s see if you remember the story:

a) When does the story begin?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

b) Where does the story take place?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

c) Where does Oliver live?

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

d) How old do you think Oliver is?

............................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................................


Somebody has mixed up the various parts of the story of Oliver Twist. Can you you put them

in the right order?

…..Bill Sikes wants Oliver to help him steal from Mr. Brownlow’s house.

…..After being arrested for theft, Oliver meets Mr Bownlow at the police station.

…..Fagin teaches Oliver how to steal.

…..Mr Brownlow decides to help Oliver.

…..Mr Brownlow decides to adopt Oliver and Nancy.

…..Oliver becomes friends with Nancy.

…..Oliver becomes Mr. Sowerberry’s apprentice.

…..Oliver grows up in a workhouse where he is bullied.

…..Oliver meets a gang of juvenile delinquents with Fagin at its head.

……Oliver runs away and goes to London.

…….Sikes and Oliver are chased by the police over the rooftops of London.


12. Decide if the sentences are True or False:

PHRASE                                                                             TRUE OR FALSE

Oliver Twist comes from a big family.

Oliver Twist was born in a hospital.

Oliver Twist had a difficult childhood.

Shakespeare wrote Oliver Twist.

Fagin didn’t help poor children.





Wednesday 22 November 2023

Unit One. Extra Practice

Extra exercises. Unit one


Change the subject with the correct subject pronoun.

[Image]
1-Mary is my sister.
2- Paul is my brother.
3- The bird is red and green.
4- Mary and Susan are good friend.
5- Sam and I work together.
6- The policeman is my neighbour.
7 -The teachers are very happy today.
8- You and I have the same book.
9- Peter and you are in the same class.
10. The nurse is in the room now.
11- Ann is on holiday.
12- The boy is very tall.
13- The students in this class are the best.
14- Tom and you are very clever.
15- The man in the green car is my father.

To Be
Write questions

1.he / from England?
2.his birthday / in the summer?
3.dogs / his favourite animals.
4.Smith / his last name?
5.blue and yellow / his favourite colours?

Complete the sentences use am / is /are.
1.Nemo ............. a fish.
2.Mary ............. a girl.
3.Jimmy and Tom ............. boys.
4.The ball ............. big.
5.The house ............. in the mountain.
6.The car ............. new.
7.The pencil ............. black.
8.The dresses ............. black.
9.We ............. students.
10.I............. happy.
11.You and I ............. in the class.
12.The sweets ............. delicious.
13.This book ............. very cheap.
14.A snail ............. small.
15.Those actors ............. handsome.

Make these sentences negative.

1.Nemo............. an elephant.
2.Mary ............. a boy.
3.Jimmy and Tom ............. girls.
4.The tennis ball ............. big
5.The house ............. at the beach.
6.The car............. old.
7.The pencil ............. red.
8.The dresses ............. white.
9.We ............. teachers.
10.I ............. sad.
11.You and I............. in the park.
12.The sweets ............. bad.
13.This book ............. very expensive.
14.A snail ............. big.
15.Those actors ............. ugly.

QUESTION WORDS
Look at the answers. Then complete the questions with Who, What, When, Where or Why.
1.A: ............. is in the classroom?
   B: Pat is in the classroom.
2.A: ............. is your birthday?
   B:  It's on the 20th June.
3.A: ............. is your pencil case?
   B: It's in my bag.
4.A: ............. are you at home?
   B: Because it's Sunday.
5.A:............. is that?
   B: It's a schoolbag.


Answer the questions:

1.What is your name? - It's..............................................................
2.What is there in your living room? -There's................................................................
3.Where is New York? -.It's in..................................................................
4.Where are the five books? - They're in...................................................................
5.When is Christmas? -It's in ...................................................................
6.When are Jim and Gill at school? -.They are ..................................................
7.What is Nemo? -It's a...................................................................
8.Who are in the living room? -..............................and...................................
9.What is the weather in your country? - Its's..................................................................
10.How are you today? -I'm...................................................................

Sunday 7 November 2021

Volcanoes

 


Task 1 . Reading

La Palma is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of 708 square kilometres (273 sq mi) making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The total population at the end of 2020 was 85,840.. Its highest mountain is the Roque de los Muchachos, at 2,423 metres, being second among the peaks of the Canaries only to the peaks of the Teide massif on Tenerife.

La Palma, like the other islands of the Canary Island archipelago, is a volcanic ocean island. So La Palma’s geography is a result of the volcanic formation of the island. The highest peaks reach over 2,400 m above sea level, and the base of the island is located almost 4,000 m  below sea level. The northern part of La Palma is dominated by the Caldera de Taburiente, with a width of 9 km and a depth of 1,500 m. It is surrounded by a ring of mountains ranging from 1,600 m to 2,400 m in height. On its northern side is the exposed remains of the original seamount. Only the deep Barranco de las Angustias (“Ravine of Anxiety”) ravine leads into the inner area of the caldera, which is a national park. It can be reached only by hiking. The outer slopes are cut by numerous gorges which run from 2,000 m  down to the sea. Today, only a few of these carry water due to the many water tunnels that have been cut into the island’s structure.

From the Caldera de Taburiente to the south runs the ridge Cumbre Nueva (‘New Ridge’, which despite its name is older than the Cumbre Vieja, ‘Old Ridge.’) The southern part of La Palma consists of the Cumbre Vieja, a volcanic ridge formed by numerous volcanic cones built of lava and scoria. The Cumbre Vieja is active, currently erupting in the 2021 La Palma eruption. Beyond Punta de Fuencaliente at the southern tip of the island, the Cumbre Vieja continues in a southerly direction as a submarine volcano.

Since the Spanish have kept records, there have been eight eruptions – all of which have occurred on the Cumbre Vieja:

  • 1470–1492 Montaña Quemada
  • 1585 Tajuya near El Paso
  • 1646 Volcán San Martin
  • 1677 Volcán San Antonio
  • 1712 El Charco
  • 1949 Volcán Nambroque at the Duraznero, Hoyo Negro and Llano del Banco vents
  • 1971 Volcán Teneguía
  • 2021 Volcán Tajogaite (ongoing)

The volcano started erupting again on 19th September 2021 after a seismic crisis rocked the island.

Task 2 – Fact finding. Choose a number to complete these sentences about natural disasters. Compare with a partner.

10500150026.5

 

1) There are over _______ active volcanoes around the world.

2) Tsunamis can travel at up to _______ miles per hour. 500 26.5 10 1500

3) Hurricanes only form when water temperature reaches ___________ ºC.

4) _______ % of the world’s population live within danger range of volcanoes.

Task 3 – Read the messages and then answer the following questions.

We asked our readers to send in their views on these two questions:

-Do you think there are more natural disasters than in the past?

-Do you think we are prepared to deal with the disasters?

Sarah – “I think it’s really scary that there are so many natural disasters these days. There are far more than in the past. Every time you switch on the news you see places that are flooded or countries in drought. I’m sure it’s all connected to climate change and global warming.’’

James – “ We so many natural disasters on the news these days that you become immune to them. I don’t mean that in a horrible way, but it always seems so far away and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to help the poor people who are there. ”

Cindy – ‘’The hurricanes and earthquakes that have happened in the past month just prove how unprepared we are for natural disasters. It’s crazy that with all the technology and information available to us nowadays natural disasters still kill so many people. They should spend more money on research to develop warning systems for hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis.”

Roger – “You can’t prepare for natural disasters as nobody knows when or where they are going to happen. It’s nature’s way of reminding us that she is in charge and we should respect her a lot more than we do.“

1• Who do you agree with?

2• Who do you disagree with? Why?

3• How would you answer the two questions?

Task 4  What do you think about this piece of news?:



Wednesday 2 September 2015

William Shakespeare


William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was baptized on April 26, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. From roughly 1594 onward he was an important member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men company of theatrical players. Written records give little indication of the way in which Shakespeare’s professional life molded his artistry. All that can be deduced is that over the course of 20 years, Shakespeare wrote plays that capture the complete range of human emotion and conflict.

Though no birth records exist, church records indicate that a William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed he was born on or near April 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as William Shakespeare's birthday.
Located 103 miles west of London, during Shakespeare's time Stratford-upon-Avon was a market town bisected with a country road and the River Avon. William was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. William had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund. Before William's birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. However, records indicate John's fortunes declined sometime in the late 1570s.
Source and more info: http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323

Wednesday 21 January 2015

Reading comprehension level A "Bullied"

Go to this link.
http://www.englishforeveryone.org/PDFs/Bullied.pdf

Read the text about a "bullied" boy and do the comprehension exercises.
Send me the composition to the class mail.

Thursday 31 October 2013

Learning to write.

We are trying to improve our writing skills so here are some interesting links you can visit.

                                                                                        Learning to write.

Thursday 17 October 2013

It's Halloween Time!

Let's celebrate Halloween one more year. Have your pumkins ready and costumes,too.
Beware of bats and spiders, have a bag for sweets and  tricks!


The History and Origin of Halloween

Back in the old days, or once upon a time, in the tradition of fairy tales, there were the Celtic people and their Druid priests. The Druids were believed to have the ability, among other skills, to commune with the dead. Their powers, it was rumored, were much more powerful on the day of Samhain (pronounced sow-en), which was the last day of the year in the Celtic calendar. But, before believing that the Halloween celebration came directly from Samhain, a day mistakenly attributed directly to the Wiccans rather than to the Celts, you must understand that it is a blend of Hallowmas, a celebration of Catholic origins, as well as the Roman festival called Feralia.
On the day of Samhain, the Celtic people would all extinguish their home’s hearth fire. They would gather in front of a blessed bonfire and would sing, dance and listen to the stories that were told during the celebration. At the end of the evening, each person would take some of the bonfire home to relight their heart fire in hopes of ensuring good fortune to their home and family for the coming year. It is said that if your hearth fire would not light from the sacred bonfire, misfortune, even death, would befall someone in the house that very year.

Friday 7 June 2013

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Jane Austen

Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is 200 years old this year. This novel was first published on 28th February 1813. Go to the new page in this  blog and do the exercises about her.

Sunday 25 November 2012

Sherlock Holmes

About the author: Reading. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a referent in the field of crime fiction. He was a creative writer whose other works include science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.

Thursday 8 March 2012

Charles Dickens



This year is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens's birth (Portsmouth, February 7, 1812) .
The books of Charles Dickens have sold in the millions, and have also been adapted into countless theatre and cinematic productions.

Did you Know?


Charles Dickens had a pet raven named Grip. When the bird died in 1841 he had it stuffed and it is now in the Free Library of Philadelphia.
As a young man Charles Dickens worked for nearly four years as a newspaper reporter working on court cases and legal proceedings. This experience found its way into many of his books.

Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine had ten children. Many of them were named after famous writers.
Many of Charles Dickens' books were printed in magazines in serial form before being published in book format. Unlike other authors who finished their stories before the magazines printed them, Dickens often wrote each episode as they were being serialized. This meant that his stories had a rhythm which kept the reader looking forward to the next episode, just like a modern day TV series.
One of Charles Dickens' daughters was named Dora after the character in his book David Copperfield. The real Dora died tragically of an illness just like the Dora in the book.


Your Task : I'd like to know more about this writer. Can you help me?

Monday 5 March 2012

Picture description

Describe the room. Use the form there is / there are and the prepositions of place.

Tuesday 15 November 2011