Some technological news

Xbox One has technical problems on day one 
(26th November, 2013)

Read the news on Sky News and  The Guardian watch and listen to different videos on the same page with reviews of the console.

You can do some exercises related to the news here.

Amazon.com testing drone delivery service 

(4th December, 2013)

Read the news and watch a video about it on Sky News, CNN and USA Today.

You can do some exercises here.

Jade Rabbit sends photos from the Moon 
(18th December, 2013)

Read the news on English People Daily and Xinhua News.

You can do some exercise here. 

A technological review

Watch and listen to this video with a technological review.


You can read more about it here, or look for some more reviews on youtube.

Love English Awards 2013

Macmillan has organised a competition you might want to have a look at...

Vote for your favourite blog about the English language!

Please have a look at all nominated blogs below and select your favourite here.

You might find interest blogs you can follow from now on and use for your English practice. So far, I've selected English with a twist. I've added it to the list of Websites of Interest you can find on the right.

Have a look at the post HOW TO TALK ABOUT MOVIES IN ENGLISH, useful for your reviews. 

Advertising

Go to this link to watch some funny commercials while practising your English with activities.

EFL Smart Blog: Commercials

(I've added this blog to the Websites of Interests)

Writing letters

You may have forgotten how to begin and end letters... Here you have some basic rules for you to remember:

1. If you know the name of the person you're writng to, begin Dear + title + surname. If not, begin Dear Sir or Dear Madam.

2. Finish your letter with Yours sincerely if you know the person's name, and Yours faithfully if you don't.

3. If you are writing a letter rather than an email, print your name underneath your signature.

Love by numbers

Luisa Dillner, former Guardian columnist and author of Love by numbers, discusses the statistics behind love, romance and relationships. 

Audio: Relationship statistics: 'Internet dating works'

You can read the columns she wrote about Love and Relationships in The Guardian.

Finally, also from The Guardian, a debate on love and new technologies. You can post your comments there (or here) giving your opinion, if you like!
Debate: Is Internet dating killing romance?

How to write a reference letter

According to Wikipedia, an employment reference letter can cover topics such as:

- the employee's tasks and responsibilities
- the duration of employment or tasks/ responsibilities
- the position relative to the author of the reference letter
- the employee's abilities, knowledge, creativity, intelligence
- the employee's qualifications (foreign languages, special skills)
- the employee's social attitude
- reason(s) of employment termination
- some text with the actual recommendation itself (e.g. 'I unequivocally recommend ... [name] as a ... [function/ role] and would be happy to hire him/ her again').

Here you have some useful links to help you write a REFERENCE LETTER:

Sample reference and recommendation letters
Daily Writing Tips
Writing reference letter
How to write a reference letter

Online shopping

Article: Top 10 benefits of online shopping.

Activity: Train your accent. Read, listen and practise pronunciation by copying the intonation. Why not also tape yourself?

Connectors and Linkers

This is a good way to learn vocabulary according to word functions...

Are you cutting back?

Tell us how you're coping with the difficult economy

Have a look at this section at The Guardian "Comment is free", where you can post your stories or opinions on a subject. 

A similar exercise to this appeared in last year's exam.

Texting

Click below to find a complete dictionary for acronyms and abbreviations for teaxt messages:
The List of Chat Acronyms & Text Message Shorthand

Writing Competition

La EOI de Lorca convoca el I Premio de microrrelatos de las Jornadas Culturales de 2013.

Es una convocatoria abierta a todos los alumnos de la EOI de Lorca. Cada participante sólo podrá presentar un relato y es requisito indispensable que sea original e inédito.

El micro-relato empezará de la siguiente manera: 

INGLÉS: Once I got to the top of the hill where the castle of Lorca is…

ITALIANO: Una volta arrivati al castello di Lorca…

FRANCÉS: Une fois arrivés au sommet de la colline du château de Lorca…

Se entregará 1 ejemplar  en los que conste el título, adjuntando un sobre cerrado (en el que también aparecerá el título del microrrelato) que contendrá los  siguientes datos personales: nombre y apellidos curso y grupo, teléfono y correo electrónico.

La extensión de cada micro-relato no excederá las 20 líneas sin contar el título. Los concursantes presentarán su micro-relato en formato Arial tamaño 12 a doble espacio.

El material citado anteriormente se entregará en un sobre cerrado en la conserjería de la EOI de Lorca a la atención de dirección antes del 11 de abril de 2013.

El jurado lo formarán los profesores de la EOI de Lorca.

La entrega de premios tendrá lugar el jueves 18 de abril a las 17.00 en la EOI de Lorca. 

Cultural Readers Competition

Write your own cultural reader with your class. Visit this page to find out the terms for the competition.

You can write about the following topics:

 

History

What can you tell us about the history of your city or country ?

Is your city or country new or old?

 

Geography

Do you have a famous landmark in your city or country?

What landscape does your city or country have?

 

Nature

What kind of nature do you have in your city or country?

What kind of animals livein your city or country?

 

Culture

Do you have any traditions in your city or country?

How do you celebrate a big event, like a birthday, in your city or country?

 

People

Do you have famous people in your city or country? Why are they famous?

Who is your local hero?

 

Food

What is your favourite local food?

What do you eat for breakfast? And dinner?

 

Sport

What is a popular sport in your city or country?

Who is your most famous sports person in your city or country?

Discourse markers (2)

Read about Discourse Markers: Linking your ideas in English.


Exercises:

1. Type the correct answer into the box
2. Choose the correct answer
3. Multiple choice quiz 1
4. Multiple choice quiz 2

Prácticas de Refuerzo 2012-13

Just a reminder of the timetables of the Writing and Speaking Reinforcement lessons (Prácticas de Refuerzo de Nivel - PRN)


Wednesdays 18.00-19.00 
with AINOA - Room 1.12

Thursdays 18.00 -19.00 
with ANA – Room 1.4