Awareness Test

Cambridge's Dictionary gives the following definition for the word "awareness"
"knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience"
Public awareness of the problem will make politicians take it seriously.
Environmental awareness has increased dramatically over the past decade.

Take this test and check how the results help you think about our everyday life. I'm interested in reading your comments.

Have fun!!

Football!!

In just a few days we'll be immersed in the world of football. Many of the words we use in Spanish to talk about football come from English. How many others can you add?

Read and then do the quiz http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/vocabulary/football.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/football/shootout.shtml

Big Brother is watching you!

The idea on which the reality show "Big Brother" is based comes from a novel called 1984 by George Orwell. The book is a wonderful read and confronts us with the risks of a totalitarian government. You can watch the trailer and read the author's biography.


http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.html
If you've read it you can leave your comments here.

Places to visit

Listen to (and read,if you want) these extracts about two different places. On the right, there are comprehension and vocabulary exercises you can do if you want to practise new expressions.
After listening, share your opinion here. Would you like to visit places like these? Why? Why not?



http://www.elllo.org/english/1001/1019-Ron-Hawaii.htm

http//www.elllo.org/english/1001/1013-TNT.htm

Getting ready for the World Cup!!

Get ready for the big event! Listen to the song and read its lyrics!!

Travelling

Tourists, luggage, driving... How many other items does the picture make you think of? Learn some more vocabulary connected with this area.

http://www.metrocollege.edu.au/old%20website/ENG_Intermediate%20(Site)/travel/TravelVocabulary/1travV.htm
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/vocabulary/2v18-travel-vocabulary.php

Telephone numbers

Listen to phone numbers and click on the right answers!

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/activity/listening/ex1phoneex.html

Reading and the Internet

Do you read fewer books because of the Internet? Listen to this dialogue and check if their opinion is the same as yours. You can listen to it and read at the same time. You can also click on the buttons on the side and practise the new expressions used.
I'm looking forward to your comments about this controversial topic.
http://www.elllo.org/english/1001/1023-Monica-Reading.htm

I love my cellphone

What do you use your cell phone for? No, it's not obvious. Read this article and find out.
By the way, what's the difference between a cellphone and a mobile phone?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/14/technology/personaltech/14talk.html?th&emc=th

Benjamin Zephaniah

Who said that only advanced students could read poetry?
Read this poem by English writer Benjamin Zephaniah:



Who's who? (from Talking Turkeys)

I used to think nurses Were women,
I used to think police
Were men,
I used to think poets
Were boring,
Until I became one of them.

Do you know that this talented man had dyslexia, so he couldn't learn to read and write while he was at school? A really inspiring story.

More about him at:

http://www.benjaminzephaniah.com/content/biography.php

How much vocabulary for food do you know in English? Do these quizzes and find out.
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9801/cr-nutrition.html (Pre-intermediate)
http://a4esl.org/q/h/vc-meat-lb.html (Intermediate)

By the way, can you name all the food in the photo?

Invictus (Review)

You can read a Review of the film Invictus at
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/movies/11invictus.html
For the ones who've seen the film, do you agree with the comments?
For the ones who haven't seen it, does it encourage you to do so?

Invictus

Listen to this beautiful song from the film "Invictus". The name of the song is "Colorblind". What does it mean? You can read the lyrics while you listen to the song.

Colorblind - Overtone

And it's not just a game
You can't throw me away
I put all I had on the line
And I give and you take
And I played the high stakes
I've won and I've lost
But, I'm fine

Hear me say I'll wise up 'til the end
Hear me say I'll stand up for my friends
And I crash to the ground
And it's just my own sound
I drop in the blink of an eye
I'm colorblind

And your milky way fight
Won't stop my delight
You keep me and lock me away
And it's dark and it's bright
It's your colorful pride that kept me here 9000 days

Hear me say I'll see the sky again
Hear me say I'll drive for you my friend
There's a noise in the crowd
But it's just my own shout
A stumble I fall and I pray

Hear you say your eyes see green again
In the end we'll lived up holding hands
Yes, we'll spark in the night
We'll be colorblind
And these are the lives we gave

(I can't understand this part... Something about peace and freedom...)

Hear me say I'll wise up 'til the end
Hear me say that I'll stand beside my friends
I won't stay on the floor
I will settle the score
A stumble I fall and I pray

Hear me say it's time we stop talking
Eye to eye we see a different face (faith?)
Yes we we've conquered the war
With love at the core
A stumble I fall, but I'll stay
Colorblind.

Work in Google

Watch this report on how employees work at Google. What's your opinion of the resources used to motivate people in this company?

What are blogs?

A very clear explanation of what a blog is.
By the way, do you know what "plain" means? What other meanings can you find in the dictionary? You can check my links.

What is "Kaleidoscope English"?

The word "kaleidoscope" comes from Greek and means "observer of beautiful forms". As a teacher of English, I strongly believe learning a language goes beyond the mere systematization of rules and grammar. It is through language that we can explore and learn about ideas, people and traditions.
Besides, this was the name of my first book when I started learning English as a child, and that's another reason why this name is particularly meaningful for me.
Why would I like it to be meaningful for you? In this blog, I'd like to share material that you can use to be in touch with English.
I hope you can view a wide range of colours through this little hole I've made in the huge Internet world.

La palabra "Kaleidoscopio" viene del griego y significa "el que observa formas hermosas".Como docente, creo firmemente que el aprendizaje de un lengua va más allá de la mera sistematización de reglas y gramática. Es a través del lenguaje que podemos explorar y aprender acerca de nuevas ideas, gente, y tradiciones.

Además, este era el nombre de mi primer libro cuando empecé a aprender inglés de chica y esa es otra razón por la cual este nombre es particularmente significativo para mi.

¿Por qué me gustaría que fuera significativo para vos? En este blog, quisiera compartir material que podés usar para seguir en contacto con inglés.

Espero que puedas ver una amplia gama de colores a través de este agujerito que hice en el gran mundo de Internet.