New York, New York

I've been absent from the blog for a long time but I'm back again. I can't think of a better way of returning to blogger activity than posting about The Big Apple: New York City. But why? The reason is that I've spent my Christmas holidays in this wonderful city and it's been an unforgettable experience.

The city is full of contrasts, lights, people, buildings and any kind of thing or activity that you can imagine. I'm sure of one thing, I'll go back. I love NY!

This link contains an elementary reading comprehension activity about New York.

If you click on this link, you will find an intermediate reading comprehension activity about New York.

And finally, I want to include the two songs that have made my stay in New York even more special: New York, New York by Frank Sinatra and Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys and Jay-Z.

Gibraltar: a school trip

One year later, on March 5, we are going to Gibraltar on a school trip. You will do a series of activities related to the Rock. The activities will include Maths and English tasks!!! You'll have to do these activities by asking native people, in English, of course! I hope you enjoy the trip and get the most of it. I write the link to three of my previous entries in order for you to read and get some information about Gibraltar:

Our trip to Gibraltar (last year's trip)
School trip to Gibraltar (previous information for last year's trip)
Gibraltar

English Challenge: win a class trip to London!!!

What is Next Stop London 2010 all about?

With its 3 levels and all new questions, Next Stop London is back and even more thrilling than last year. Face the challenge now and try your hand at the questions about language, history and culture. Naturally, the prizes for Next Stop London 2010 are awesome – the winning class gets a trip to London for the whole class and the runners-up will win cool language tuition classes.

My students have to register in the following links:

4º ESO A

2º Bachillerato

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Our trip to Gibraltar

Yesterday we went to Gibraltar on a school trip and all I have to say is that it was fantastic! We spent a great time there despite the weather. Luckily, it did not rain, but the wind was really strong. We went to Europa Point, we visited Saint Michael's caves and we stopped at the Apes' Den. An ape jumped onto my shoulders and I took a nice picture! Then we had free time to have lunch and go shopping.

My students' behaviour was very good and I want to congratulate them. If we have the chance, we will repeat the trip next year.

The solutions to the Gymkhana are the following:

1. Apes.
2. British.
3. Chocolate.
4. Duty.
5. Europa.
6. Frontier.
7. Governor.
8. Hindu Temple.
9. India.
10. John Galiano.
11. King’s Chapel.
12. La Línea de la Concepción.
13. Mediterranean.
14. National.
15. Ocean.
16. Pound.
17. Queensway.
18. Rock.
19. Saint Michael.
20. Trafalgar.
21. Utrecht.
22. Victoria Stadium.
23. Winston Churchill Avenue.
24. Phone box.
25. Yacht.
26. Zoo.

How many answers did you get right? Which was the most difficult question for you? Did you practise your English while doing the Gymkhana? I hope so.
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School trip to Gibraltar

Next week we are going to Gibraltar on a school trip. You know that you will have to work in groups and do a special Gymkhana during the visit. It will be really funny and it will give you the opportunity to be in direct contact with British people. You are encouraged to speak English with them and ask questions to complete your task.

Some questions are very easy but some others involve a deeper knowledge on Gibraltar. For this reason, you may want to have some information prior to the trip. I provide a series of links for you to start investigating:

Government of Gibraltar
Gibraltar: Wikipedia
Gibraltar: Tourism

Finally, when I was looking for a nice picture to show you Gibraltar's monkeys, I found something that made me feel really sad and terrified. It is a piece of news that announces that there has been and there is going to be a monkeys' cull (slaughter). They say that two of them have already been given lethal injections and vets have been ordered to kill another 23. The reason can be that some of these monkeys have vandalised hotel rooms and have run amok on a beach. (Click here and here for the news).

I am an animal lover and I consider that killing should be the last measure to take. These monkeys can be taken to a diffent place, a zoo for example, if they do not fit in The Rock anymore. I hope there is a better solution for this problem.
Look at these pictures, aren't they cute?

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A day out in England

England is certainly a beautiful country with lots of things and places for the tourist to visit. I went for a day out. Where did I go and what was it like?

Find out by doing these four exercises:

Exercise one: Pre-listening: vocabulary.

Exercise two: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise three: Is this exactly what you've heard?

Exercise four: Complete and check.

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Summer Holiday World Geography Quiz

Do you like travelling? Have you ever been abroad? Summer is a great time for going to foreign places. Test your general knowledge on Geography by doing these quizzes. They are graded in different levels of difficulty.

Holiday Geography Quiz (easy)
Holiday Geography Quiz (easy) Long Timer
Holiday Geography Quiz (tricky)
Holiday Geography Quiz (tricky) Long Timer
Holiday Geography Quiz (fiendish)
Holiday Geography Quiz (fiendish) Long Timer

Source: http://yacapaca.com

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory shares a border with Spain to the north. Gibraltar has historically been an important base for the British Armed Forces and is the site of a Royal Navy base. Today, Gibraltar is known colloquially as Gib or The Rock.

If you want to know more about Gibraltar and its history, click here.

Government of Gibraltar, Information Service.

Try this quiz to check how much you know about The Rock.

For A Virtual Travel to Gibraltar, click on this link.

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Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness Monster (Nessiteras rhombopteryx) is an alleged animal, identified neither as to a family or species, purportedly inhabiting Scotland's Loch Ness. The Loch Ness Monster is one of the best-known animals studied by cryptozoology. Popular belief and interest in the animal have waxed and waned over the years since it came to the world's attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is largely anecdotal, with minimal, and much disputed, photographic material and sonar readings: there has not been any physical evidence (skeletal remains, capture of a live animal, definitive tissue samples or spoor) uncovered as of 2008. Local people, and later many around the world, have affectionately referred to the animal by the diminutive Nessie (Scottish Gaelic: "Niseag") since the 1950s. Wikipedia.

Loch Ness and its monster are both found in northern Scotland.

Loch Ness is part of the Great Glen, an enormous fissure in the earth that just about splits Scotland into two. There are a series of lochs, rivers and canals that link the Atlantic with the North Sea. this is the most eastern of these.
It is the largest freshwater lake in the Britain. It is twenty four miles long and a maximum of one and a half miles wide. Its maximum depth is around 750 feet and its average depth 450 feet. Because the waters are very cold, and also very cloudy it is difficult to see underwater more than a few feet. So there is a lot of murky water in which Nessie could hide.

For more information, click here.

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Now, it is time for some English practice, click on this link and do this exercise on The Loch Ness Monster.

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Some English-speaking places

Oxford

This is Oxford, a famous city in England. If you do the following exercises, you will find more information about this wonderful city.

Exercise 1: Pre-listening: Vocabulary: Match the term with its definition.

Exercise 2: Click on the words you hear.

Exercise 3: Listen again and complete the text.

Exercise 4: Is this exactly what you hear?

More listening activities.

Huelva and its English Quarters

Situated at the estuaries of the rivers Odiel and Tinto, Huelva is now the fourth largest port in Spain and the capital of the province. Founded as Onuba by the Phoenicians, the town had its grandest days as a Roman port important in the trade of mineral products. However, the city has found its place in history as a vital element in the discovery of the New World and prospered in the early days of trade with the Americas.

One legacy of the area's mining activity is the curious "Barrio Reina Victoria", made up of typically English style houses built by the Río Tinto Company for its English workforce in the early 20th century. Many Britons came to Huelva to find wealth and a new life. With them they brought two main sporting passions - Golf and Football. The oldest football club in Spain is Recreativo de Huelva and the oldest Golf club is Bellavista in nearby Aljaraque.

In the North of the Province lie "Sierra de Aracena" and "Picos de Aroche". They make up a gently rugged landscape dotted with small villages. The slopes are covered with cork, oak, chestnut and wild olive trees and are cut by rushing streams and mountain roads.

The area was settled in ancient times by the Phoenicians and Romans who mined copper, silver and iron. The open faced mines of Riotinto are still one of the regions attractions. Corta Atalaya is one of the largest opencast mines in the world and from the viewpoint you can see the crater and marvel at the extent of years of excavation.

Situated in the village, the museum explains the history of the mines and of the Río Tinto Company. There is a 250 metre long reproduction of a Roman mine which you can walk round and witness first hand the ancient struggles to retrieve the earth's treasures. Also in the village is the unusual "Barrio de Bella Vista"where English style 19th century terraced houses were built for the English employees of the Río Tinto Company.

Source: Home from Holmes.

If you want more information on this topic, click on this link: ¡Qué de Arte! You will find an accurate comment on their history and their artistic value.

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. English is one of the eleven languages spoken in South Africa.

The South African economy is the largest in Africa and 24th largest in the world. Due to this it is the most socially, economically and infrastructurally developed country on the continent.

South Africa has experienced a different history from other nations in Africa because of early immigration from Europe and the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route. This country is ethnically diverse, with the largest Caucasian, Indian, and racially mixed communities in Africa. Black South Africans account for nearly 80% of the population.

Racial strife between the white minority and the black majority has played a large part in South Africa's history and politics, culminating in apartheid, which was instituted in 1948 by the National Party. The laws that defined apartheid began to be repealed or abolished by the National Party in 1990, after a long and sometimes violent struggle, including economic sanctions from the international community.

South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity after segregationist apartheid ideology.

For more information click here.

South Africa is unique - with a number of attractions you won't find anywhere else in the world…

ROBBEN ISLAND

A short cruise from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront by ferry, this legendary island is a must-see on any newcomer's itinerary. This is where Nelson Mandela and his comrades were imprisoned for decades during the Apartheid era. Former inmates will take you on an insightful tour of the prison grounds. This historical island is now a World Heritage Site and a proclaimed nature conservation area.

Robben Island – World Heritage Site and symbol of hope.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

About the size of Israel, the Kruger Park is the greatest of South Africa's many national parks which attract a great number of visitors intent on drinking in the wilderness. On guided walks, drives or self-drive, visitors have the best chance of spotting the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) in this park.

A guided safari drive – one of the best ways to spot the Big Five.

For more information click here.

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona and is one of the United States' oldest national parks. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world. The park covers 4927 km² and the Canyon is 446 kms long. The canyon was created by erosion caused by ice, water and wind. The rushing waters of the Colorado River were the key factor, although Continental drift also contributed to its formation. Over five million visitors admire this gift from nature every year. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area. This quotation shows his concern and love for the place:
“Do nothing to mar its grandeur, for the ages have been at work upon it and man cannot improve it. Keep it for your children, your children's children, and all who come after you."

Short reading and activity on the Grand Canyon National Park.
Extended reading and questions on the text.

Stonehenge

Click on the pictures below to find out about this wonderful place and practise your reading skills with the post-reading exercise: