St. Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17th. In Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is both a holy day and a national holiday. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland because he brought Christianity to the Irish. The shamrock his St. Patrick's symbol.

Saint Patrick’s Day is usually celebrated with a parade. The one in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is very famous. But the one in New York City is one of the biggest. It lasts for hours.

Play a game here and have good luck! You can also read poems and listen to songs for this special day here.

International Women's Day

International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, present and future. In some countries like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, this day is a national holiday. If you want to learn more about this day, you can click here.

This is the message the Secretary General of the United Nations has sent to the world.

And here goes a short tribute to some of the many important women throughtout history. Do you know them?

Welcome to this Victorian House!

Today we have read about a Victorian house, haven't we? Enjoy this video showing the inside of a Victorian house. Is it very different from your home?

Past of Be, There Was and There Were

During the last lessons we have learnt the past of verb to be and also there was and there were. You can click here and here to do more activities on the past simple of verb to be. If you prefer to review there was and there were click here and here.

II IES El Fontanal Spelling Bee

As you know, next Wednesday February 25th students and teachers at I.E.S. El Fontanal will be celebrating Andalusia Day. We will listen to the Andalusia Anthem, we will eat molletes with chocolate and we will do different activities in the classrooms.

The English Department will organise the II Spelling Bee, a funny and interesting way of proving you are good at spelling. You will be able to take part in the contest for Segundo Ciclo (3º and 4º ESO). You can review the vocabulary lists for your level and you can also have a look at the rules and the recommendations here.

There will be great prizes for the winners!!!

Below you have some pieces of advice for the contest, the rules of the Spelling Bee and the wordlist for your cycle. Have a look at them.

Good luck to everybody!

Algunos Consejos Para El Concurso de Deletreo
Spelling Bee Rules
listado segundo ciclo

I Have a Dream

Last 19 January American people celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Do you know who he is? He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. You can learn more things about his life and work here. You can also enjoy these subtitled videos of his famous speech I Have a Dream. We will devote some time in class to talk about it, so take your time and think about his words:

I'm sure you also have a dream about how people's lives could improve. Send a comment telling me and your classmates!

Giving Directions and Walking around Town

Here you can find interesting activities to review what we have learned in class:

In this website you'll find a list with useful expressions for giving directions and managing yourself around town.

If you click here you can listen to dialogues asking for directions.

Here you can listen to another dialogue as you read it.

Now you are ready to listen to some sentences (click here) and look at a map and say if these sentences are true or false . . . if you need it, you can read the tapescript!

And in this website you can play hangman.

Have fun . . . and learn many things!

Happy New Year!

How did you say goodbye to 2009? How did you receive the new year? Did you eat the twelve grapes? As you know, not everybody has the same customs and traditions.

Would you like to know how people in New York welcomed 2010 in Times Square? Have a look at this video, join the countdown and enjoy the atmosphere.

If you click here you can also see a brief overview of other countries' celebrations and enjoy the firework display in London next to the London Eye.

A Christmas Tour around London

If you want to see the Christmas lights in London, don't miss this opportunity. Get in my car and I'll give you a lift from Piccadilly Circus to Marble Arc. Meanwhile we'll listen to a song we can sing quite well, can't we? By the way, don't panic! Remember people drive on the left here!

My Best Wishes for You All!

Happy Christmas (War is Over)

We would all be very happy is war was in fact over all over the world. However, there are many things we can do everyday to make the lives of the people around us easier, can't we. Now we can listen to this song by John Lennon, sing the karaoke version and think about the lyrics.

Jingle Bell Rock

If you feel like singing today, here goes this Jingle Bell Rock. Pay attention to the lyrics and then sing the karaoke version!

Do They Know it's Christmas?

Band Aid is a British charity that calls artists to record a Christmas single. Do They Know It's Christmas Time at All? is a song written in 1984 to raise money for the relief of famine in Ethiopia in 1984 and 1985. Many famous singers contributed with their voices. Although the song is almost 25 years old, I think the message is still valid. What do you think?



Here are the lyrics for you to think about the content:

All I Want for Christmas . . is You!

Do you want a lot for Christmas? Well, here is a song that perhaps will help you be merry and happy . . .



And here goes the karaoke version for the artists!

Last Christmas

The other day we sang Last Christmas by Wham. Here is the song with the lyrics for you to rehearse before singing the karaoke version below.

Enjoy yourselves!

Christmas is coming!

Everybody knows Christmas is coming very soon. Here you will find lots of materials and activities to learn and review both Christmas content and vocabulary. I hope you also have fun with it.

To begin with, you can read and listen to a story about Christmas Day by clicking here. Is Christmas Day a special day in your life, too? What do you do at home to celebrate it? Is there any other special day in your life? What do you usually do on this day? Don't forget to post a comment answering these questions!

Moreover, you can find out more about Christmas customs and traditions in England with this online game and you can review some vocabulary with this card game where you just have to turn over pairs of cards and match words and pictures.

If you need something more challenging and international, this is an online quiz to play either in pairs or on your own, don't miss it! You'll learn how Christmas is celebrated all over the world.

As you know, one of the main characters of this time of the year in England is Santa Claus. Here is a funny song about him. Do you like it? Well, you can always play this game with . . . or against Santa!

Present Continuous

These days we are learning how to form and use the Present Continuous in English. Here is an interesting website with an easy explanation, a video to review and practise and lots of activities for you to check your progress.

Don't miss it!

Treasure Hunt: Three Constitutions

On 6 December Spanish people remember the day we ratified our constitution. A constitution is the set of rules that establish the structure and duties of a government. It also guarantees certain rights to the people.

In this activity we will review some important aspects of the Spanish Constitution and we will learn some facts about the Constitution of the United Kingdom and the Constitution of the United States of America. The three of them protect the Human Rights.

Read these questions carefully and think if you can answer them:

1. Which of the three constitutions is the oldest? When was it written?

2. When was the Spanish Constitution adopted?

3. What happened on 6 December 1978 in Spain?

4. What is the main difference between the Constitution of the United Kingdom and the other two constitutions?

5. Name three rights American, British and Spanish citizens have.

6. Complete these sentences with one of these words: Parliamentary monarchy, constitutional monarchy, federal constitutional republic.

a) Spain is a . . . . . . . . . .

b) The United States of America are a . . . . . . . . . .

c) The United Kingdom is a . . . . . . . . . .

These are the websites that you should visit to answer the questions:

Spanish Constitution

Information on the Constitution of the USA (in English)

Information on the Constitution of the USA (in Spanish)

Information on the Constitution of the UK (in English)

Information on the Constitution of the UK (in Spanish)

Human Rights (in English)

Human Rights (in Spanish)

Please send a comment with your answers and don't forget to include your name!

Say NO in Any Language!

The United Nations designated November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We should be aware of how important this issue is all over the world. Here is a video for you to refect on violence:



And this is another short one, because NO is NO in any language!

Happy Turkey Day!

I came across this funny video. I know you like videos and songs, so here it is for you to listen and see!



And here goes the original song: