ESL NewsPaper 2013

ESL students in the 4th year write news reports from photo prompts in groups and this is the result: the third edition of ESL NewsPaper.

Well done, everyone!

DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY?

Watch the following video by Sir Ken Robinson where he makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
I know it's a bit long but before you start complaining, let me tell you why you should listen to him:

"Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating children. He champions a radical rethink of school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence."




If I have convinced you, watch the conference and write a short summary here (100-120 words) and also share your feelings about it. Password: aple1

It would be great if you could have it by Monday 29th before the listening test next Tuesday; otherwise Thursday 2nd will be the final deadline.

BLIND LUCK

You are going to hear the audio track from a short film. Listen very carefully and make a note of what you think you hear. Compare your notes with a partner and together construct a narrative to accompany the audio track.
You could use these expressions when sharing your guess:


"It could be..." / "It might be..." / "It can't be..."
"I think) it looks/sounds like ..." / "(I think) it looks/sounds more like ..."

A VIRTUAL TOUR

Choose a trip by clicking on one of the postcards on the first screen, then listen to the SHORT trip diary and click on the notepad page to start writing. Once you've finished, click on "done" so that you can print out your work.
You can change the size of the text. Use the up and down arrows to move through what you write. 
Then go to cover page and design your cover page. 

Bring everything to me by Wedenesday 6th

(Share Clip)

4º ESO: A DISCUSSION ESSAY

Notice that Discussion Essays follow a fixed structure. The following example can help you organize your essay.

Discussion Essays 

Try the wheel game to practise connectors to improve your writing skills.

Choose one of the following topics and write a discussion essay about it (100-120 words) here.
DO NOT COPY FROM THE INTERNET OR USE A TRANSLATOR.

Deadline: Friday 18th


1. Are we too dependent on computers?
2. Are actors and professional athletes paid too much?
3. Are there benefits to attending a single-sex school?
4. Is the Internet a better invention than books?

SENIOR'S VALEDICTORIAN SPEECHES

Here is the collection of the valedictorian speeches written by students who are graduating this year. I would like to thank all those who took part in reading their speeches in front of other students and teachers. I'm sure everyone benefited from the experience. 
I published them because they are really worth reading and sharing experiences and feelings is always rewarding. Good luck to you all!

Open publication - Free publishing - More esl

This is the collection of speeches by former students.

Open publication - Free publishing

3ºESO WRITING PROMPTS: WHAT IF...?

Let's practise what you've learnt about conditional clauses by writing an 80-100 word essay about one of the following prompts. Do it here and don't forget to include your names. Do not copy from the Internet.

Deadline: Friday 11th

VALEDICTORIAN OR GRADUATION SPEECHES

The end of the school year is getting closer for you and hopefully your time as secondary students is also coming to an end. From now on you will be starting a much more exciting period in your lives. You will step into the world to forge your own paths in life, which I am sure you will find, however difficult you might find it now.

However, before that, I would like to set one final assignment, which definitely will have an important weight in your final grades.


You have to write and give your Valedictorian or Graduation Speeches! 

The term Valedictorian is an anglicized derivation of the Latin vale dicere ("to say farewell"), which is basically what you will be doing.


Let me give you a few hints to make the task easier.


A Valedictorian or Graduation Speech is a closing or farewell statement or address delivered at a graduation ceremony. Its aim is to thank, exalt, stimulate to action, motivate, to affect and touch, even to raise to a higher emotional level, and finally to say farewell. You do most of these by reflecting on the past years and putting special emphasis on some events, especially meaningful for you.


You could think of how you felt when you were the new freshmen at the school and how you feel now that you are about to leave. You could write about any anecdotes or memories you have of all these years and give advice to the newcomers who will read your letters.


As you see, writing your speech is not difficult. I am sure ideas will start flowing in easily. Be sharp and short: no more than 3-6 minutes is enough for delivering your valedictorian speech topics.


Anyway, here is a skeleton and structure to use.


DEADLINES

• You will upload your first drafts in the wiki by April 16th.

• Redrafting will be possible until April 20th.

• Speeches will be given on April 27th and May 4th.

Remember to use rich language and structures, be yourselves and most of all, do not use a translator or copy from the Internet.

Surprise everyone by dressing up for the occassion. It will add up to your marks. "Suit up!"

You can watch and listen to some speeches delivered by some well-known people.

Here is the speech given by Shakira at Oxford University.

Here you have Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey at Harvard University.



And last Bill Gates also at Harvard.



I hope these examples come in useful for your assignment.

WRITING PROMPT FOR 2º BTO

You are in the third term now and it's time to try and do your best in the school year. Being the writing the most difficult part in the university entrance exam and the heaviest weighed, you need to do some more practice to improve your written skills. 

This time I want you to choose one of the following prompts and write 100-120 words about it. Do not use translators, do not copy your writing from the Internet; by now you should have enough vocabulary and no grammar obstacles to make your writing flow. Try to impress the reader, that is, me, by making a good job out of it.

You'll be doing this assignment during Easter holidays, so you need to type your essays in this pad

Deadline: Sunday 8th April

WRITING 4th ESO

Being writing one of the most difficult skills for students to master, you are going to start writing short texts about the topic suggested on a regular basis.

Being short does not mean making less effort. You need to be creative and write well-crafted paragraphs in correct English. Try to make use of the vocabulary and structures studied so far according to your level.

I have created a collaborative document where you will all type your essays and where I will make my corrections and feedback. Type your essay here.

The pictures below are the first writing task for you to accomplish along the week. You have been studying modals in the course book, so I hope you can use them in your writings. Do not write more than two paragraphs on the whole. Choose the picture that inspires you more.

Deadline: Saturday 21st







As the firewall won't let us access the online document, you can see your mistakes and corrections here

LETTERS TO ESPERANZA AGUIRRE

After reading some articles published on the international press about the cuts on education, BTO students from a non-bilingual school have written letters in English to Esperanza Aguirre, stating their own opinions about the situation. They are published below with their consent. English still exists beyond bilingual schools; I just wonder how long for.

Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

With this letter we want to protest for the staff-cutting measures, because it's bad for our education and future generations. With this staff-cutting measures some teachers hace to teach other subjets that they didn't study.
Also there are more students in the classroom. If the education is bad , now with these measures it will be worse. You mustn't give financial help to private education, but you must give this help to the public education.
On the other hand, with these measures the unemployment rate will grow.
Esperanza, we know that you want to privatize public education.

Victor Tíscar, Sergio Pérez, Héctor Jiménez, Roberto Secayán. 2º Bach A T



Dear Mrs Esperanza Aguirre,

The students at Galileo Galilei high school want to write this letter to you in answer to your education policy.
The consequences of the staff-cutting measures are varied. One of them is the rallies that teachers and students have prepared and will prepare in response to the government, because all students need a good education. These measures mean fewer lessons and it causes worse learning. Moreover, it's a problem for Bachillerato students, because they are going to do an exam to access University, and it's very important for the future of the country and for their own future.
For these reasons, we think that it is better to take money away from other less important things than education. For example, we can save energy and water. We hope that you think about our request, because if education is very good, the future of the country will be better than now.

Fátima Arrogante, Raquel Flores, Raúl Pérez and Alejandro Sánchez 2ºBACH.A 

 
Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

We want to tell you about our disagreement with the changes you have made in public education. This year we are a lot of students in the same class and we don't have enough teachers. Every year in the ESO we have been divided into levels, but this year it hasn't been possible. Due to the cuts, the students have fewer lessons in laboratories or computer classes.
We ask for classes with fewer students. We want the money to go to public education, and not so much to private schools. We also want more aids for books and school material for needed people.
We have been studying in public schools all our life and we don't want to leave public education because of worse quality.
We hope you consider our opinions and change something in favor of public education.

Artem Hrytsay, Aarón Alonso, Irene Ortiz, Sandra Pérez


Dear Esperanza,

We are five students from a public high-school, and we are writing a letter to express our worries about the stuff-cutting measures which the government has made.
Some of these problems are :
- Withdrawal of direct tutoring with students and this is essential to be ok in the high-school.
- There are more students in each class and less personal attention and for this reason the school quality is worse.
- Teachers won't have time to plan extra-activities.
To finish we would like you to change this law because it's very bad for public education and we haven't got the same chances as those in privte education.
Thank you for your time and we hope you to listen to our request and try to make our education better because we are the future of this country and its development depends on us.


Marta Souto, Elena Pascual , Andrea Baguena ; Sofia Morales y Ana Garcia



Dear Esperanza Aguirre,

We are sending you this letter because of the steps you have taken against public education since we are students from a public school in Alcorcon.
What encourages us to write this letter is our disagreement with your educational policy.
The strike is causing serious consequences on students, especially on the students of 2nd of bachillerato, who are missing many lessons in the year on which they are asked to face the University Entrance test. Due to the cuts, teachers and school are not able to provide basic services like library, back up teachers and sets.
Now that we've explained what's going on in the school itself, we're going to talk about the teachers' behavior.Students are cooperating and joining the teachers' movement. Protests and demostrations are being carried out around certain points in the cities according to their strategy, which is based on catching everyone's attention howards the complainers, so the protests are taking place in places like city halls.
We hope this letter will make you think about our poor situation.


Juan David, Cristian, Daniel and Ruben


Dear Mrs Aguirre,

This year I have been a really good boy. I have studied a lot at my public school to get good marks. I have helped my parents at home and I have looked after my little sister. I have even gone to see the Pope.
After all this good behaviour, I want to ask you for something. You should remove the cuts that you have made in public education since I hvae been such a good boy.
I don't deserve this treatment. I can't afford a private school but I'd love to have a good education. With your cuts in public education, that would be imposible for me.
For this reason I won't rest until you remove the cuts.
Good night! I'll prepare you biscuits with milk for you and your camels.
Enrique Bala, Raul Ortis, Isidoro Gonzalez, Javier Miguel 2º Bach A

SENIORS' FAREWELL LETTERS

Here is the collection of farewell letters written by students who are graduating this year. It might be interesting to read them and see how they are feeling now that are about to graduate. Good luck to you all!

Open publication - Free publishing

sk8r boi

Listen to the song by Avril Lavigne and try to fill in the blanks. I promise this time it's easier than the last one.
Try to understand the lyrics and tell me about the story. Write a post with the story of the song and the results you got in the cloze test. 

  

TIME FOR FAREWELLS

Time is coming to say good-bye to students in APLE2 since the school year will soon be over for you and you will be starting a much more exciting and real period in your lives. You will step into the world to forge your own paths in life, which I am sure you will find, however difficult you might find it now. 
I wouldn't like to see you off without letting you know you've been a special group of students who I've really enjoyed teaching. Unlike the ordinary English subject, not being subjected to a text book has given me the chance to deal with a wide variety of topics and current affairs which I hope you found interesting. Your suggestions and initiative have undoubtedly made the task easier. I would also like to acknowledge your willingness to take part in all the activities, although some of them were quite embarrassing for some of you - I'm thinking of last year's sketches. I hope that you feel your English has improved after these two years in APLE. 
However, I won't let you go without setting your last assignment. This time I would like you to WRITE, something I haven't asked you to do in these two years, except for some commentaries in the blog. I would like you to write farewell letters leaving your testimony about what the years spent at Galileo Galilei have meant to you. You could think of how you felt when you were the new freshmen at the school and how you feel now that you are about to leave. You could write about any anecdotes or memories you have of all these years and give advice to the newcomers who will read your letters. Write them in the wiki and I will post them in the blog later on. Show them how good you really are!

GALILEO GALIEI NEWSPAPER

Below you can find the newspaper created from the news reports written by students in 4th ESO in 2010 and 2011 and published in issuu. 

Open publication - Free publishing - More school papers

Read ONE of the reports and make a comment below explaining what the news is about and give your opinion