Christmas around the world

Christmas Countdowns

Dear students of 2nd ESO,

These are the links where you can find information for your Project (you can search the Web and use some other pages too, of course). Select your country and choose the Chrismas traditions and customs that you consider important. For example:

• What are the most celebrated days in that country?
• How do they decorate the houses?
• What do they have for dinner? Name some recipes.
• Which day do they give presents(gifts)? Who is the Christmas gift bringer? Where are presents left?
• How is "Feliz Navidad" said in that language?

Remember, extract the relevant information. DO NOT COPY LONG PARAGRAGHS!

I hope you enjoy and have a good time with this  Christmassy activity.

http://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/

http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/

http://www.isabelperez.com/x-mas.htm

http://www.zuzu.org/daze.html

http://www.michellehenry.fr/christmas.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/christmas-traditions-worldwide

                  

http://www.euroclubschools.org.uk/index.htm  (France, Spain, Italy)

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/

"Young and beautiful"

There are songs that caress your soul, and this is what Lana del Rey does singing this song from the The Great Gatsby soundtrack. Listen to her smooth voice, the orchestra and watch the lights and I'm sure you will agree.






This is an acoustic cover of the song by Jona Selle, a German cellist and singer. He is really talented. I think he does more than a great job. For me, it is  just perfect, simply awesome.

Young And Beautiful lyrics

I've seen the world
Done it all, had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant, and Bel-Air now
Hot summer nights mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, the city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?

I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now
Channeling angels in, the new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you'd play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?

Dear lord when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you'll let him
Father tell me if you can

Oh that grace, oh that body
Oh that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will

Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Will you still love me when I'm not young and beautiful?

Object pronouns

 If you click  on this link, you can have a grammar lesson on Object pronouns and  you can practise them with this online exercise here.

You can also do these activities from The yellow pencil page. If you want, you can even print some exercises.

More exercises here,     here,    here  and   here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Present Simple

Exercises on Present Simple clicking here. Revise this tense by doing as many as you need.

Fun activities

Learn the vocabulary on hobbies and fun activities and play the games that you will find here. It is as easy and nice as eating chocolate.

"You only need the light when it's burning low..."

Passenger   Let her go


Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go
And you let her go

Staring at the bottom of your glass
Hoping one day you'll make a dream last
But dreams come slow and they go so fast

You see her when you close your eyes
Maybe one day you'll understand why
Everything you touch surely dies

But you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go

Staring at the ceiling in the dark
Same old empty feeling in your heart
'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast

Well you see her when you fall asleep
But never to touch and never to keep
'Cause you loved her too much
And you dived too deep

Well you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go oh ooh ooh
And you let her go oh ooh ooh
Well you let her go

'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go

'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low
Only hate the road when you're missin' home
Only know you love her when you let her go

And you let her go



Karaoke version

Modal verbs

I suggest you do some practice on Modal vebs!

Vocabulary and Grammar practice on Unit 6:

Reinforcement 6    and    Answer Key.

More Practice 6    and   Answer Key.


Modal vebs exercise and Key answer.

Modal verb tutorial with plenty of exercises here.



I even suggest you sing along with Bruno Mars When I was your man to practise the Perfect Modal. Listen to the way he regrets about what he should have done... Poor guy!

Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man lyrics

Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now
Our song on the radio but it don't sound the same
When our friends talk about you, all it does is just tear me down
'Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name

It all just sounds like oooooh…
Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize
That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have given you all my hours
When I had the chance
Take you to every party
'Cause all you wanted to do was dance
Now my baby's dancing
But she's dancing with another man

My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways
Caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life
Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, ohh…
And it haunts me every time I close my eyes

It all just sounds like oooooh…
Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize
That I should have bought you flowers
And held your hand
Should have given you all my hours
When I had the chance
Take you to every party
'Cause all you wanted to do was dance
Now my baby's dancing
But she's dancing with another man

Although it hurts
I'll be the first to say that I was wrong
Oh, I know I'm probably much too late
To try and apologize for my mistakes
But I just want you to know

I hope he buys you flowers
I hope he holds your hand
Give you all his hours
When he has the chance
Take you to every party
'Cause I remember how much you loved to dance
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man
Do all the things I should have done
When I was your man!

Selectividad exam

Read the Guidelines for your Selectividad exam carefully. You will find all the different types of questions that you could be asked in the section Use of English.

Guidelines for PAU   (2014-2015)

You should keep the Tips below in mind. They will help you perform at your best level.

Test-Taking Tips

Remember, think positive and don't panic!

Relative sentences

 For Vocabulary and Grammar practice on Unit 5, click below:

Reinforcement 5    and    Answer Key.

More Practice 5    and   Answer Key.


  For further practice, try these exercises:

 Defining relative sentences  here.    Non-defining relative sentences  here,   and both types   here.



And now, it's time to relax by listening to this song called The man who can't be moved  by the Irish band  The Script. It is not a brand-new song, but it is suitable for this grammar point. Read the lyrics and find the relative sentences.


The Script - The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Vídeo, Lyrics and Karaoke

The Man Who Can't Be Moved   by  The Script

Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move
Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my hand
Saying if you see this girl can you tell her where I am

Some try to hand me money, they don't understand
I'm not broke I'm just a broken hearted man
I know it makes no sense, but what else can I do
How can I move on when I'm still in love with you

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet
And you'd see me waiting for you on the corner of the street

So I'm not moving
I'm not moving

Policeman says son you can't stay here
I said there's someone I'm waiting for if it's a day, a month, a year
Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows
If she changes her mind this is the first place she will go

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet
And you see me waiting for you on the corner of the street

So I'm not moving
I'm not moving
I'm not moving
I'm not moving

People talk about the guy
Who's waiting on a girl, oh whoa
There are no holes in his shoes
But a big hole in his world

Maybe I'll get famous as the man who can't be moved
And maybe you won't mean to but you'll see me on the news
And you'll come running to the corner
'Cause you'll know it's just for you

I'm the man who can't be moved
I'm the man who can't be moved

'Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me
And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be
Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we meet
Oh, you see me waiting for you on a corner of the street

So I'm not moving
('Cause if one day you wake up, find that you're missing me)
I'm not moving
(And your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be)
I'm not moving
(Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet)
I'm not moving
(Oh, you see me waiting for you on a corner of the street)

Going back to the corner where I first saw you
Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move

A life lesson

 You have probably heard of this inspiring story before, but now that we are dealing with Relationships in the textbook, it is worth taking a minute to read it again and thinking about what truly is important in life. 

The Mayonnaise Jar and the Two Pints of Beer 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two pints of beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly, and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed again that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the rest of the space. He asked once more if the jar was full, and his students responded with a unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced two pint glasses of beer from under the table and poured the contents of both into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the grains of sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, children, health, friends and your favourite passions; things that, if everything else were lost and only they remained, would still make your life full.”

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.”

“Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children, take time to get medical checkups, take your partner out to dinner and play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the leaky tap. Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities, because the rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem to be, that there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

- Author Unknown

 

Conditional sentences

Here you are the Vocabulary and Grammar practice on Unit 4.

Reinforcement 4    and     Answer Key

More Practice 4    and    Answer Key

Passive voice

Vocabulary and Grammar practice on Unit 3.


Reinforcement 3    and       Answer Key.

More Practice 3    and      Answer Key.

Change the sentences to passive voice  here,    here,   here  and   here.

Passive voice Questions.

The Causative Have something done   here  and    here.

The Impersonal Passive.