PLANS for HALLOWEEN NIGHT

Some of you asked me what can I do in Halloween?, Here you are some examples:
(Cosas que hacer en Halloween, algunos consejos para pasarlo bien)

1. Having teen rally that night and teach the dangers of Halloween.

2.Inviting friends over and watch a terror movie. (Halloween, Saw, white noise, the Eye...)

3.Play the game bobbing for apples.

4. We dress up as a monster or witch and play 'Truck or treat' with friends.

5.Halloween Sinister and Haunted City Tour. We can take a walk in a cemetery in our village.

travelling around UK and USA

This post is addressed to my students in 4 ESO D, in order to ease their Project about touristic destinations in the UK and USA. Here you are some useful Webs:
Esta entrada es para los alumnos de 4 ESO y su proyecto cultural acerca de destinos turísticos en Inglaterra y Estados Unidos.
LONDON

www. visitlondon.es
www.londontown.com
NEW YORK

www.nycvisit.com

Some useful expressions...

A wet blanket - una aguafiestas
A hangover - una resaca
Better late than never - Más vale tarde que nunca
Bless you! - ¡Jesús! (when somebody sneezes)
Bon apetit. - Qué aproveche.
By the way - A propósito
By all means - No faltaría mas/Por supuesto
Chat someone up - Ligar con alguien
Cheers! - ¡Salud! al brindar
Cross your fingers. - Cruzando los dedos.
Get the sack - ser despedido
Hurry up - ¡Date prisa!
I must be off. - Tengo que irme.
I haven't got a clue. - No tengo ni idea
If only - Ojalá
It serves you right. - Lo mereces.
It rings a bell. - Me suena.
It's up to you. - Tú eliges.
Keep your hair on! - ¡Cálmate!
Leave me alone! - Déjame en paz!
Let the cat out of the bag - revelar un secreto
Make yourself at home -Siéntete como en tu casa
Really! - ¡De verdad!
Same here - Yo también
Talk of the devil - Hablando del rey de Roma
To pay cash - Pagar en efectivo
To my mind - En mi opinión
Touch wood. - Tocando madera
Watch out! - ¡Ten cuidado!
What a rip off. - ¡Qué timo!
What a mess! - ¡Qué lío!
What a cheek! - ¡Qué cara!
You're pulling my leg. - Me estás tomando el pelo.
You're welcome. - De nada.
You're kidding. - Estás de broma.

Profesores CAL . Curso de Adaptación Lingüística para centros Bilingües

He detectado(sus numerosas dudas así lo confirman) que muchos de nuestros compañeros, necesitan un guión para empezar, desarrollar y concluir las clases bilingües, para ello vamos a daros unas frases muy útiles para usar en la clase bilingüe. Espero que os sea de ayuda.
These expressions are addressed to those teachers who are teaching their subject( Maths, Biology, Social Science...) in the English language. I will add more expressions and tips in the following days.

Classroom Language: The beginning of the lesson

1. Good morning

Good morning, everybody.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Hello, everyone.
Hello there, James.
2. How are you?

How are you today?
How are you getting on?
How's life?
How are things with you?
Are you feeling better today, Bill?

3. Introductions

My name is Mr/Mrs/Ms Kim. I'm your new English teacher.
I'll be teaching you English this year.
I've got five lessons with you each week.
4. Time to begin

Let's begin our lesson now.
Is everybody ready to start?
I hope you are all ready for your English lesson.
I think we can start now.
Now we can get down to work.

5. Waiting to start

I'm waiting for you to be quiet.
We won't start until everyone is quiet.
Stop talking and be quiet.
Settle down now so we can start.
6. Put your things away

Close your books.
Put your books away.
Pack your things away.

7. Register

Who is absent today?.
Who isn't here today?
What's the matter with Mike today?
What's wrong with Jim today?
Why were you absent last Friday?
8. Late

Where have you been?
We started ten minutes ago. What have you been doing?.
Did you miss your bus?
Did you oversleep?
Don't let it happen again.

IDIOMS

English Idioms
Idioms are fun and useful expressions that usually cannot be understood by defining the separate words. For example, if your host mother says, "I think it's time to hit the hay", she means, "I think it's bed-time"! You would not be able to understand her by looking up the words hit and hay. Like phrasal verbs, these expressions need to be memorized as a whole. Try visualizing them or drawing pictures when you study them. For example, draw a picture of a cow sleeping in some hay. The idiom out of the blue means "unexpectedly". Your teacher or homestay family will call you one smart cookie if you come up with an idiomatic expression like that when they least expect it!

Most idioms don't seem to make any sense because their origins are so old. Some of them come from ancient literature or even classic films. Learning the background of idioms can help you to remember them. Try checking your dictionary or asking a teacher or native speaker if they know the origin. Remember, not all idioms are considered standard English. Some English-speaking regions use specific idioms that other native English speakers have never heard before. You can find information about most expressions by looking them up online.

Try studying these idioms by learning one list at a time. Or, use these lists to help you when you come across an idiom you don't understand. One important thing to remember is that the subject of the idiom doesn't usually relate to the meaning.
Animal Idioms + quiz
Body Idioms + quiz
Food Idioms + quiz
Geography and Weather Idioms + quiz
Sport Idioms + quiz

Kate Perry- I kissed the Girl

Lyrics | I Kissed A Girl lyrics



¿ Quién se atreve a traducirla?

Halloween – its Origins and Place in The World Today

It is not hard to imagine anyone reading the title above and immediately thinking of Halloween activities like “trick or treating”, pumpkins as lanterns and all sorts of costumes, especially those of the ghostly variety.

But, most of the above are creations during the relatively recent 20th Century, and to find the origins of Halloween we have to go back much further, and particularly across the seas to find the beautiful, green and verdant island, known as Ireland.

The early Irish people were Celtic tribes, similar to those found in Scotland, Wales, Breton (Northern France) and Galicia (an ancient region of N W Spain). The Celts embraced Paganism, one of many hundreds or even thousands of belief systems that were very common in the days before the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and are still popular today (eg: Wiccan). The Pagan Celts all spoke Gaelic, although with some differences in each location. No one at that time, however, had yet heard of Halloween.

Paganism comes from the Latin word “paganus” meaning country dweller or rustic. It is a term which, from a Western perspective, has modern connotations of spiritualist, animistic or shamanic practices or beliefs of any folk religion, and of historical and contemporary polytheistic religions in particular.

The Irish Celts had two particularly important Festival celebrations, one which celebrated the arrival of Spring, of renewal, is called Beltane and is on May First with dancing, feasting and the traditional Maypole. The other celebrates the end of the harvest, and arrival of Winter, on the 1st of November and is called Samhain. Incidentally, in the Gaelic language still in use in much of Ireland today, the word for November, is Samhain. Samhain is also generally regarded as the beginning of the Celtic New Year.

By the way, Celtic in all this is pronounced with a hard ‘c’, as in ‘car’, whereas in the famous Boston Celtics basketball team, and Glasgow Celtic soccer team it is a soft ‘c’ the same as in ‘Caesar’. Their origins are the same, just different pronunciations.

The ancient Celtic tribes believed that the dividing line between the living and the dead became dangerous for the living on 31st October, when the change in the weather had become much cooler (colder) leading to sicknesses and damage to crops. So, they tried to ward off the perceived evil spirits by lighting bonfires where the bones of slaughtered livestock were thrown. Just like at modern Halloween, at these new festivals, masks and costumes were worn, making them look like evil spirits, in an attempt to placate them and send them far away.

One of the names for these festivals (feast days) was on the eve of Samhain, 31st October, about to be the eve of All Hallows Day, and soon to be known as Halloween.

With the advent of Christianity, in the first Millenium, celebrations had begun of a Festival called All Saint’s Day, which was also known as All Hallows or Hallowmass, and was celebrated on 13th May. (Hallow means to make Holy.) The day before All Hallows was called All Hallows Even, and hence shortened to Hallowe’en, and then to the Halloween we have today.

All Saint’s Day is a feast held in honour of all saints, known and unknown. In terms of Roman Catholic theology, the feast commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. (In the RC Church, Sainthood is bestowed on a person who has died, after performing great and wonderful deeds on earth. This process is called beatification.)

The day after All Saint’s Day is known as All Soul’s Day, and commemorates those who have died, but who have not yet been purified and gone to Heaven. In many parts of the world, especially South America and other largely Catholic countries (such as The Philippines) this day is also known as the “Day of the Dead”.

Until the ninth century, when Pope Gregory IV moved All Saint’s Day to 1st November, from 13th May, it had really been a festival of Pagan traditions, held just after Beltane on 1st May.

Now that All Saint’s Day was on 1st November, it was also on the same day as Samhain. As stated above the day before All Saint’s Day (or All Hallows Day), was All Hallows Even, which became shortened to Hallowe’en and thus, Halloween. Gradually, many of the Pagan traditions of Samhain, begun to be incorporated into Halloween, particularly the attempts to ward off the evil spirits, as described earlier, with the costumes and masks.

Of course, the main modern Halloween activities for children today, especially in North America, are ‘trick or treating’, lantern lighting and dressing in often ghoulish costumes. It appears that this did not really start until the early part of the 20th Century. The first known reference to what is really ritualised begging on Halloween, was reported in 1911, in a Canadian newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, not far from the border with upstate New York. The paper reported that it was normal for the smaller children to go street guising on Halloween between 6 and 7pm, visiting shops and neighbors, to be rewarded with nuts and candies for their rhymes and songs.

Interesting links related to Halloween:

Halloween Printables

Halloween Crafts

Halloween Games

Halloween Stories

Halloween Songs

Diferencias entre Watch,See and Look

Differences between SEE, WATCH and LOOK

1. See: stative use, the action is involuntary .

"to see" --> ver (percibir algo por el sentido de la vista)
I see very well without glasses

2. Watch: when it is an action that continues over a period of time and we do it deliberately .You can watch or look at a moving object. Watch is always related to Movement.

"to watch" --> observar/vigilar (poner nuestra atención visual en algo durante un tiempo para tomar nota de su evolución o cambio según pasa dicho tiempo
Do you have to watch me eating my supper?

3. Look deliberately and with attention . You can look at a stationary object but you can't watch it."to look" --> mirar (dirigir voluntariamente nuestra atención).
Look at this card that John's just sent.

*When talking about films, plays, television etc. watch and see are almost interchangeable...
*usos idiomático "watch" se usa con la tele y "see" con el cine.

I’m going to watch a film tonight.
I’m going to see a film tonight.


Did you watch that film last night?
Did you see that film last night?


I watched it on television.
I saw it on television.

I'm going to watch television.
XI'm going to see television.

I’ve never seen that play, have you?
XI’ve never watched that play, have you? (Actually, you could say this but it's less usual than seen).

Sometimes the differences are quite subtle...

The most complete list of Digital Newspapers and Magazines in English Speaking Countries!!

This is the list of the most important newspapers and magazines in the English speaking countries . These are their digital versions and are completly free. You have tons of free reading here, ENJOY YOUR READING!! ( Esta lista proporciona los enlaces para los periódicos y revistas más importantes en lengua Inglesa, son todos gratuitos, así que empieza a leer ya; recurso útil porque podemos comprobar una misma noticia enfocada de manera distinta en varios países)



There is no excuse to be updated!!



EE.UU

Periódicos/ Newspapers



The New York Times

New York Daily News

New York Post

The Wall Street Journal (economía)

The Washington Post

USA Today

Chicago Tribune

Los Angeles Times

The Philadelphia Enquirer

The Miami Herald

News.com (tecnología)

Revistas /Magazines



Time Magazine

People

Life

National Geographic

Sports Illustrated (deportes)

In Style (revista femenina)

Cosmopolitan (revista femenina)

Marie Claire (revista femenina)

UK / Reino Unido

Periódicos /Newspapers



The Times

The Sunday Times

The Telegraph

The Guardian

The Independent

The Financial

Daily Express (tabloid, sensacionalista)

Daily Mirror

London Daily

London Student

The Herald

The Sun (tabloid, sensacionalista)

The Sunday Herald

The Sunday Post

Revistas /Magazines



The Economist (finanzas)

Travel Weekly (viajes)

BBC Wildlife (naturaleza)

The Spectator (política)

Hello! (prensa rosa)

Cosmopolitan (revista femenina)

More (revista femenina)

Vogue (revista femenina)

Maxim (revista masculina)

IRLANDA/ IRELAND

Periódicos/Newspapers



The Irish Independent

The Irish Times

Dublin Post

Northside People (noticias sobre el norte de Dublín)

The Sunday Business Post (economía)

Revistas/Magazines



Business World (economía)

Film Ireland Magazine (cine)

Hot Press (música)

History Ireland (historia de Irlanda)

Image (revista femenina)

The Irish Letter (actualidad irlandesa)

AUSTRALIA

Periódicos/ Newspapers



The Australian

Morning Star

Sydney Morning Herald

The Canberra Times

The Weekly Times

The Advertiser

Australian Financial Review (economía)

Revistas /Magazines



Readers´ Digest

Asia Today (economía)

The Buzz (música)

Cleo (revista femenina)

Xpress Magazine

Inside Sport (deportes)

CANADA

Periódicos / Newspapers



The Globe and Mail

The Star

Canoe News

Toronto Sun

Winnipeg Free Press

Revistas/ Magazines



Readers´ Digest

MacLeans´

Flare (revista femenina)

Some cooking...

Shepherd's pie:

Shepherd's pie is a traditional English dish that consists of a bottom layer of minced (ground) meat covered with mashed potato and optionally a layer of cheese. It is a favorite dish of institutional cooks keen on feeding large groups of people. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Mashed potatoes. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ...



The mince is traditionally lamb (hence Shepherd) although in North America it is often made with minced (ground) beef which is also known as a cottage pie and cowboy pie. In Britain, 'shepherd's pie' is always made with lamb, and 'cottage pie' always with beef. The mince layer is made by frying the meat in oil with finely chopped onions (and sometimes also with garlic, chopped carrots, peas or other vegetables, and herbs such as rosemary or oregano). It is then simmered in stock, tomato puree and sometimes wine. Once this is done, the mash layer can be added, and the entire pie is baked in the oven until golden and preferably crisp.

PS: I'm afraid I'm doing your homeworks!