ORAL MEDIATION TASK (for Wednesday)

Choose one of the tasks:

Task 1. Our language assistant, Sandra, has just rented a house at El Mar Menor, where she will spend her next summer holidays. She is really interested in the environment, the contamination in El Mar Menor and its habitat. She asks you for some information about it.

To be better informed on the topic you read an article from La Verdad: El Mar Menor Contaminado ¿Podemos recuperarlo aún?

You have 3 minutes to explain to Sandra the origin of El Mar Menor contamination and the consequences for the neighbours, fishermen, and tourism in the area.

To be assessed: information choice, summarizing, paraphrasing and meaning negotiation with Sandra.

Task 2. Ellie, your friend from Sheffield, would like to surprise her family with a Caldero, a typical dish from Cartagena, where they will spend their summer holidays this year. She asks you for the recipe. You’ve never cooked it; so you browse on the net and find this one: Directo al Paladar Receta Caldero

You have 3 minutes to explain to Ellie how to cook Caldero, including details and explanations about ingredients, preparation and tips during the cooking.

To be assessed: specific vocabulary, grammar structures for giving instructions and advice, summarizing and rendering key information, ability to solve any possible question during the explanation.

E-mail writing mistakes compilation

Seen in class: Some spelling mistakes and collocations from the e-mail writing:
 

Winter Idioms KEY

Check your activity on winter idioms here.

What's the colour of your lie?

Check --> Four Colors of Lies

I don't like to walk barefoot...do you?

How many pairs of these types do you have?

HAVE YOU EVER WORN A PAIR OF stout (BrE), sturdy, clumpy (BrE ), clunky (AmE), worn-out, muddy, patent-leather, polished, shiny, matching, designer, stylish, trendy, smart (esp. BrE), open-toed, pointed , pointy (informal) flat, high-heeled, low - heeled, platform, buckled, lace-up, slip-on , strappy, canvas, suede, training (BrE), climbing, running, bowling, golf, skate (= for skateboarding), tennis, ballet, pointe SHOES?

Irregular Verbs Review

Murcia Today.com

Read Articles, Read Articles, Read Articles...

Read the article and do the activities suggested by OneStopEnglish & The Guardian:
Facebook fake review factories uncovered by investigation.


If you want more, read these two articles from The Times (with my translations of words and some phrases):
You'll enjoy easy reading and they will provide you with old and new vocabulary to put into practice:

Are Virtuous People Funny?

Dryish January is the Way Forward

Silent Letters

Synonyms for Common words

Idle

Idle

Murcia Today

! Murcia Today - Murcia And Spanish News Round-up Week Ending 18th January 2019

Murcia Today!

Tools

If you're handy about the house / garden, you might need some of these...

Bad Hair Day

Let's talk about your hair...

Writing from headlines

Choose two headlines (or more) and write the first paragraph of the story behind it in about 50 words. 

Use passive verbs where appropriate:

2.3m kids "don't exercise enough"

The night Emma died was a night of horror

Should you tip binmen?

Thrones star set to speak at TEDx event

Estate to be bulldozed

Difficult childhood linked to violence

Shy boozers more likely to get "hangxiety"

"I've been shot... I'm outside the house... hurry up"

Sailor rescue

Warning on "button" batteries

Girls "hit by anxiety"

Dawn: My secret to looking so young

New cannabis treatment

Boris in $52k error

Too much sleep "bad for your heart"

Attacked everyday for doing your job

Carer who stole from elderly widow jailed

To be checked with the real news in class on Mon. 21st.
News from Manchester Evening News 7th Dec. 2018 issue

Real Decreto Evaluación EEOOII

Work related Phrasal Verbs

Check these Phrasal Verbs.

Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 11th January 2019

Murcia and Spanish news round-up week ending 11th January 2019

Murcia Today

Jot down the five expressions you didn't know!

Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a figure of speech in which we have two or more words side by side contradicting each other. Their use in speech often leads to humour, irony, and sarcasm. 

Here is a list of 50 awfully good ones
(Thanks, Mª José)

Christmas Lunch on Fool's Day

«Cheap Chinese guitar» (Perdición) By Fernando Rubio

Los 10 mejores discos nacionales de 2018, según ABC

Sinónimo de blues, folk y rock americano. Suena a Tennessee pero está regado desde Cartagena. El disco de este artista murciano destila música americana por los cuatro costados. Sonidos arrancados desde la raíz pero con mucho estilo donde las melodías, sinuosas y preciosistas, son parte fundamental en la interpretación.

Es un arquitecto del buen gusto. Es curioso pero este rock suave que extrae no es la única corriente que se encuentra en el álbum, dado que coquetea, en ocasiones, con ritmos de corte folk y pasajes algo más funk. Su sonido conquista no solo a los puristas del género, sino que puede sobrevolar sobre la cabeza del oyente menos exigente.

Porque en sus doce áridos y luminosos cortes, por los que desfilan guitarras acústicas en «Meteor Showers», espléndidas armonías vocales como en «It Ain't an Easy Thing» o «Carry on blues», eslide guitar y pedal steel bien desarollados en «Winter Sun», se encontrará con un billete directo a la pradera en la que campan Buffalo Springfield o The Band. Seguro que The Jayhawks estarían orgullosos.

Por José Manuel Sánchez

Congratulations for your music and success, Fernando!!!

Listen to the single here, but you'd better listen to the whole CD!

Vocabulary Checker

See how many words / expressions you already know from the 15 given:
List 1
List 2
Highlight the new ones!

The Cultural Iceberg

Selling Vocabulary

Check the CALD list to look up new words & phrases related to selling and do the activity at the end of it.

Happy 2019