no class today, sorry

St Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Don't know what to get your partner for Valentine's Day? Check this video and have a look at the worst 5 St Valentine's Day presents....and have a laugh

5 Worst Valentine's Day Gifts on Howcast

Do you want to practice some vocabulary related to love? Click here. If you want to write your own love poem try this drag and drop activity designed by Isabel Pérez clicking here.

Click here to read a poem by Susan Polis Schutz on what love is. Do you agree? Can you give a definition of what love is for you? Please do so and leave a comment.


I need love, love
ooh, ease my mind
And I need to find time
someone to call mine;

My mama said
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
But it's a game of give and take
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in a good time
No matter how long it takes

How many heartaches must I stand
Before I find the love to let me live again
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on
when I feel my strength, ooh, it's almost gone

I remember mama said
You can't hurry love
No you'll just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take
How long must I wait
How muck more must I take
Before loneliness
Will cause my heart, heart to break?

No, I cant bear to live my life alone
I grow impatient for a love to call my own
But when I feel that I, I can't go on
Well these precious words keep me hanging on

I remember mama said
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
Well, it's a game of give and take
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
Just trust in a good time
No matter how long it takes, now break!

Now love, love don't come easy
But I keep on waiting
Anticipating for that soft voice
To talk to me at night
For some tender arms
hold me tight
I keep waiting
Ooh, till that day
But it ain't easy (Love don't come easy)
No, you know it ain't easy

My mama said
You can't hurry love
No, you'll just have to wait
She said love don't come easy
It's a game of give and take...

School Day of Non-Violence and Peace

The “School Day of Non-violence and Peace” founded in 1964 and also known as World or International Day of Non-violence and Peace, is an initiative of Non-violent and Pacifying Education, which is now practised in schools all over the world and in which centres of education, teachers and students of all levels and from all countries are invited to take part.
It advocates a permanent education in and for harmony, tolerance, solidarity, respect for human rights, non-violence and peace. It is observed on January 30 or thereabouts every year, on the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. Its basic message is: “Universal Love, Non-violence and Peace. Universal Love is better than egoism, Non-violence is better than violence, and Peace is better than war”.

The Official School of Languages has set some boards inside the school where you are welcome to post anything you consider relevant to Non Violence an Peace (photographs, poems, messages, names of people related to non violence, lyrics, etc) Thank you for your colaboration.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15th. It is one of three United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.
King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.
The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

If you are in a hurry this is a fragment of the speech and you can check the full text by clicking here.

If you have time, you can listen and read King's full speech:

(part 1)

(part 2)

Positive Thinking

Today we started by correcting homework (grammar bank page 131,3B) and after practicing pronunciation and the difference between "want" and "won't" we did a listening on positive thinking. So are a pessimist or an optimist? As homework I asked you to visit the blog and leave on the comment section a tip for positive thinking. Here are some ideas:

So please share with the rest of the class your tips and we can make a group powerpoint with your suggestions.

The Digital Story of the Nativity

Enjoy

December Exams

Dear students,

Here are the dates for the oncoming December exam.

Monday 13th: Reading, Listening and Writing parts
Wednesday 15th & Monday 20th: Speaking
Please click HERE to check information about the timetable for the oral exam and who is your exam partner.

World Aids 2010

The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day on December 1st is ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’. Although universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care is a human right, across the world 9.4 million people are still in need of life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and millions of people are denied access to HIV prevention and care.

6th December, Spanish Constitution

Dear students,

As you know on 6th December we celebrate the Spanish Constitution, "the fundamental law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was enacted on foot of the 1978 referendum, as part of the Spanish transition to democracy. It was preceded by many previous constitutions of Spain.
The constitutional history of Spain dates back to the Constitution of 1812. After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, a general election in 1977 convened the Constituent Cortes for the purpose of drafting and approving the constitution.
A seven-member panel was selected to work on a draft of the Constitution, these men came to be knownas the “fathers of the Constitution”. They were chosen to represent the political spectrum within the Spanish Parliament.

-Gabriel Cisneros (UCD)
-José Pedro Pérez-Llorca (UCD)
-Miguel Herrero y Rodríguez de Miñón (UCD)
-Miquel Roca i Junyent es:Miquel Roca (Convergència i Unió)
-Manuel Fraga Iribarne (Alianza Popular)
-Gregorio Peces-Barba (PSOE)
-Jordi Solé Tura (PSUC)

The constitution was approved by the Cortes Generales on October 31th, 1978, and by the Spanish people in a referendum on December 6th, 1978. 88% of voters supported the new constitution. Finally, it was promulgated by King Juan Carlos on December 27. It came into effect on December 29, the day it was published in the Official Gazette. Constitution Day on December 6 has since been a national holiday in Spain.” (Source: wikipedia)

And now let’s turn this into something of English interest:
HOW OLD WERE YOU?

WHERE WERE YOU?WHAT WHERE YOU DOING ON 6th DECEMBER 1978?Please write a comment with your answers to this question (2 or three sentences are ok)

An important song for you

Yesterday in class we read about Hannah and Jamie and how it all started with a song. Here is the song that was mentioned in the text. Watch the video and read the lyrics, then write on the comment section a song that is or was important for you and say why.

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow,
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow
So then I took my turn
Oh all the things I've done
And it was all yellow
Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know you know I love you so
You know I love you so
I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh all the things you do
Cause you were all yellow
I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow
Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know for you i bleed myself dry
For you i bleed myself dry
Its true look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine for you
look how they shine
look at the stars look how they shine for you