Linking Words

You all know the importance of linking words (= connectors) mainly for writing but, just in case, here´s a video to remind you of it

Click  here to be linked to a list of resources related to this topic

Edublogs Awards 2012

Today I want to recommend some of those blogs I follow and learn from; my way of letting them know how much I like them is nominating them for the Edublogs Awards 2012 (Edublogs is a blogging platform for people involved in education). There are 18 categories but I am afraid I do not have a favourite for all of them - I have more than one favourite for the categories below, though, which has made it really hard to make a choice.

My nominees are: 

• Best ed tech/resource sharing blog: Technology Tidbits: Thoughts of a Cyber Hero. David Kapuler has a concise but well-defined way of presenting sites, tools, apps...

• Best individual blog: Cristina Sky Box. Ana Cristina Pratas has a nice visual way of presenting her resources and explaining her ideas. She lets you see she is really into education; she obviously loves blogging and sharing things with us.

• Best group blog: Edudemic. Learning, parents, technology, social media, advice... you name it, lots of different issues usually dealt with in a very clear way.

• Best teacher blog: Movie Segments to Asses Grammar Goals. Claudio Azevedo is certainly original in his way of presenting grammar issues; the films he chooses get a new dimension when we see the activities he suggests and when we eventually use them in our classes.

• Free web tool: Dropbox. So convenient!

• Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast: Wonderopolis : activities to make kids wonder and reflect on all sorts of topics related to everyday life.

• Best mobile app: Shazam: an app that can quickly (impressively quickly) identify any song you are listening to.

Halloween

It´s Halloween again; that time of the year when you can act like crazy and freak everybody out and nobody will question you. That´s what magician Rich Ferguson  does in the video below; he walked the streets of his home town playing a head-drop trick on passers-by.

Besides tricks, Halloween is associated with pumpkins and, as far as decoration or sculpting is concerned, Ray Villafane is a real professional: he works as an action-figure character sculptor but in Halloween he turns into an excellent pumpkin carver. You will know what I mean when you watch the video below. Click on his name to be linked to his web page and there, under "gallery," you will see some of his amazing pumpkins

Don´t miss the activities related to Halloween that will take place in Lugo :

Don´t you know what sort of costume to wear? Here are some ideas:

  
Supercut: 50 TV Characters in Hilarious Halloween Costumes from Flavorwire on Vimeo.

 Halloween links: click here

Closed for the Summer

My summer break applies to classes and to the blog as well. I do not know if I am more stimulated to blogging when I am teaching but I do know it feels right to take a break (both for me and my readers).

Here are my suggestions for the summer holidays:

1. Read: you may find something that suits you here or here. If you are looking for teen or young adult literature, click here and here 

2. Listen to English; podcasts are a good idea: try here and here. Songs are also great to practise both listening and pronunciation; have a look here. By the way, besides making you feel good, singing songs is encouraging as for English learning: have you noticed people have accents when they speak English but not when they sing? Isn´t it weird?


 From Millan.Net


Here´s a video that shows what a podcast is and how it works:



3. Play some games online. Try this one: Placefy - fun geography game, twitter game, travel game. Besides, there are different types of games in my Delicious links as well.

4. If you are willing and able, you can take a special summer course; you can choose any of these:  an elephant camp in Thailand, learning ice-cream making in Italy, learning Senegalese drumming and dance traditions in Senegal... for these and many more, click here 

5. Watch films or documentaries in English. You will find some very interesting ones in this link, SnagFilms:

Watch more free documentaries

6. Dream: if you cannot go anywhere, dream of the day when you´ll be able to travel and visit places like these:

And this is a wink to my colleagues: here´s to all those of you who are real superstars -not the celebrity-type, though:

Teachers as superstars:

If you need me, send me an email or write a comment in any of the entries... If you miss me, browse through the pages of the blog... Happy Holidays! I will be back in September

The Orange Wave Against School Cuts

Every Friday for the last few weeks we (teachers, students, parents and staff of our school) have been protesting against the school cuts in Spain. How? with songs.

Friday 22nd will be the last protest day of the current school year - I am sure we´ll retake action next September, though, since things look pretty bad ahead.

If anyone wants to join us, you are warmly welcome. Wear an orange top, blouse or T-shirt; we want to look like a big orange wave to attract people´s attention.

These are the songs we will be singing, in case you want to do some practice at home: 

1. Bob Dylan´s Blowing in the Wind

2. Victor Jara´s Ni chicha ni limona




Lyrics:
Arrimese mas pa’ca aqui donde el sol calienta, si uste’ ya esta acostumbrado a andar dando voltereta, ningun daño le hara estar donde la papa quema. Usted no es na’ ni chicha ni limona se la pasa manoseando caramba zamba su dignidad. La fiesta ya ha comenzado y la cosa esta que arde uste’ quera el mas quedao se quiere adueñar del baile total a los golfatillos no hay olor que se les escape. Usted mire, no es na’ ni chicha ni limona se la pasa manoseando caramba zamba su dignidad. Si queremos ma’que toca primero hay que trabajar y tendremos pa’ toitos abrigo, pan y amistad y si usted no esta de acuerdo es cuestion de uste’ noma’ la cosa va pa’elante y no piensa recular. Usted oiga, no es na’ ni chicha ni limona se la pasa manoseando caramba zamba su dignidad. Ya dejese de patilla’ venga a remediar su mal si aqui debajito’el poncho no tengo ningun puñal y si sique hociconeando le vamos a expropiar la pistolas y la lengua y toito lo demas. Usted mire, oiga, no es na’ ni chicha ni limona se la pasa manoseando caramba zamba su dignidad.


3. Zeca Afonso´s O que faz falta!


   
Here are the lyrics:


Quando a corja topa da janela
O que faz falta
Quando o pão que comes sabe a merda
O que faz falta

CHORUS:   O que faz falta é avisar a malta
                  O que faz falta
                  O que faz falta é avisar a malta
                  O que faz falta

Quando nunca a noite foi dormida
O que faz falta
Quando a raiva nunca foi vencida
O que faz falta

CHORUS

Quando nunca a infância teve infância
O que faz falta
Quando sabes que vai haver dança
O que faz falta

CHORUS

Quando um cão te morde a canela
O que faz falta
Quando a esquina há sempre uma cabeça
O que faz falta

CHORUS

Quando um homem dorme na valeta
O que faz falta
Quando dizem que isto é tudo treta
O que faz falta

CHORUS

Se o patrão não vai com duas loas
O que faz falta
Se o fascista conspira na sombra
O que faz falta

CHORUS


4. Fuxan os Ventos, Lobo (poem written by Darío Xohán Cabana)






5. Patti Smith´s People Have the Power 

English, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician... never mind the language of the songs; we are interested in their messages because they include the ideas we want to convey.

"Bailout Education" Katt O'Neil

Start the Weekend With a Smile

Here´s a joke that will help you learn some vocabulary. Pay attention to the speaker´s intonation; for some pronunciation practice, repeat the sentences after him, imitating both his accent and his intonation. As for vocabulary learning, read carefully the definitions of the words and expressions the second time you hear the joke in the video.

Would you like to hear some other jokes? Go to Teacher Joe´s webpage, click here.