Class Activity: COOKING

The student from Cuarto Medio, made an excellent demonstration of cooking abilities.

They chose the dish they wanted to prepared, Then they organized their speech and materials, and finally they prepared their dishes for the camera.

A great moment and an excellent work. Congratulations.



The Final Results



Recipe Igredients


The Lost Video


If you thought I had forgotten the funny and embarasing pictures... well, I didn't!!

Flatulence??


Inside the TV studio.


The last details.


Humm... It seems to be that Marion was very hungry.


Ready to start boys!


Well, who goes first?




Ups... you see? Healthy food is much better!

THOUGHTS: "Loosing someone who close to you" (terceros y cuartos medios)

To think of loosing someone close to us is something that we tries to avoid. Sometimes we cheat ourselves thinking that those people who we loved will be close to us forever. But one and the last step of every human being is to die.

This exercise want to take you out all those feelings about the death, about loosing someone close to us.

In few words explain your ideas about how you'd react, how you'd feel, what you'd do if we lose someone close. Try to be sincere and honest in your answers.

As an example you have a song below about this topic. It's a Eric Clapton's sad song about loosing a very close person to him. I invite you to research about this song, about the motivations that Eric had to write it and about who is dedicated this song to and why. The results of your research will be shared in classes.

Ok. Bye

Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven

DEADLINE: August 18th, 2007

DEBATE 2 "Uniforms at school" (Terceros y Cuartos Medios)

The question of whether children should wear a uniform to school always makes for a lively debate, and not only among students! In some countries school uniform is normal and most schools make their students wear one.

Britain is the most obvious example of this, but in many other countries with strong links to Britain uniform often has to be worn to school - examples include Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa and many other African countries. Uniform is also required at almost all schools in Japan.

In other countries, particularly in continental Europe, the USA and Canada, uniform is very rare in state-funded schools, although private schools may have one.

Debates about school uniform have been going on for decades in different countries and districts, but during the 1990s state schools in the USA began to adopt uniforms.

At first uniform rules were seen as a way of stopping children dressing in gang colours in troubled urban areas. Later, claims that introducing uniform leads to better discipline and educational results encouraged other school districts and schools to make a change. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations have been in favour of school uniforms. Other countries have picked up on this trend - for example, there has been talk of making German children wear uniforms.

This topic looks at a very large number of arguments about uniforms. Not all of these will apply in every country or school, so take care only to select the ones that are relevant to debate. The proposition (affirmative or government) side here is arguing for uniforms to be scrapped, but the case could easily be reversed if your debate is about introducing uniforms instead.

What do you think about the obligation of wearing uniform at the most of schools in Chile? Do you have an opinion about that? Agree or disagree?

This is an example of how, in other countries, sees and feel the issue of wearing uniforms at school. (note: this is just an example, a point of view, anything else)

After reading the text post an specific opinion based only in one point of agreement or disagreement.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 8th, 2007.

FIRST ENGLISH DEBATE: Tercero Medio versus Cuarto Medio

Toronto Police and Chilean Soccer Players Brawl

TORONTO (Reuters) - World soccer body FIFA said on Friday it was launching an investigation into a clash between Chile's Under-20 soccer team and Canadian police, while Chile's president called the police action "unjustified aggression."

The brawl took place Thursday night, shortly after Chile suffered a bitter 3-0 defeat to Argentina in a semifinal game at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Toronto, in which two Chilean players were ejected.

"This incident is definitely regrettable and I can only apologize in the name of FIFA," organization president, Sepp Blatter told reporters at a press conference in Toronto on Friday.

"We have given the responsibility ... to the Canadian Soccer Association to deal with this matter with the relevant authorities and then to report in detail to FIFA," he said.

Toronto police briefly detained all 21 Chilean players after an altercation with the athletes as they headed toward their bus amid a throng of fans.

Witnesses reported police used electric-shock guns and pepper spray against the athletes, prompting Santiago to file a formal complaint through diplomatic channels.

"The incident is especially serious because, in our opinion, the Chilean delegation suffered unjustified aggression," President Michelle Bachelet said.

The incident came just two days after Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met in Santiago with Bachelet to bolster political and economic ties.

"These international matches are hotly contested and often become very emotional," Harper told CTV News on Friday during a visit to Haiti.

"There are provisions in Canada (under) which the authorities review these kinds of things and I don't intend to comment any further."

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair defended his officers, who he said stepped in when a Chilean team member began to argue with a rival fan. He said the Chileans then turned their aggression toward police.

Tensions were running high at the end of the game when several Chilean players angrily confronted the referee over his officiating. Police escorted the officials off the field.

(Additional reporting by Rodrigo Martinez in Santiago)





SOURCE: http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSN2030958920070720?sp=true

DEBATE: Read the first post and then follow the instructions.

Waking up of a long long nap

Hello dear boys and girls.

During the first semester I decided not to work with the blog focusing in other stuff inside the classroom. But it was just enough. It's time to read and to learn how to give opinions.

Just imagine, you are the top students, relating to English, from the whole school (I mean, more than 3.000 students). You need to show that.

I have already chosen some texts and articles that you'll have to read and then give some comments.

For 2007 I was asigned to give lessons to the Elective Classes of Terceros and Cuartos Medios. For that reason I'll separate the texts and articles in these two levels. In the titles will appear if that will belong to 3º or 4º Medio.

Well boys, Welcome to the net.

May the force be with you... always.. (or at least for this year)

See ya.

English Culture Icons I

This Wedenesday, November 29th we started with the first speeches and adresses session. The students get a more than expected performance with clear pronounciation and a good sense of rythm. I appreciate to those who worked hard to take their best english out.

We'll wait for the other group of students next wednesday when it will be also our final class.

See ya!

Martin Luther King's Speech: "I have a dream"

PowerPoint

British National Anthem: "God save the Queen"

PowerPoint

John Lennon's "Imagine"

PowerPoint

John Kennedy's "Inaugural Address"

PowerPoint

United States of America's National Anthem
PowerPoint

"God Bless America"
PowerPoint

Ensayo al aire libre

On Wednesday 22nd the group went to the beach to have one of the last practice sessions before the presentation day, that will be on Wednesdays, November 29th and December 6th.

The idea of going to the Chinchorro beach was to find a personal place to practice aloud the text asigned. To read a text is not that difficult than to read it aloud, in front of an audience and with a speech format.
I hope the activity is at the level that the students shows class by class.
Good Luck!

WebPage where you can... no, you must... no you have to STUDY!

This is the link to the webpage you can practice with several exercises.

http://club.telepolis.com/phonetics/

go to exercises 1 or exercises 2 for practicing.

NOTE: focus on the phonetic vowel exercises

Good luck

Speeches, adresses, songs and poems

In case you don't have yet your material I've uploaded the different text you have to speech soon. - In some of them there's a MP3 version fi you want to download-

Kennedy's address
Nixon's resignation speech
Martin Luther King's speech: "I have a Dream"
Star Spangled Banner
God bless America
God Save the Queen
Whitman's O Captain my Captain MP3
Lennon's Imagine
Beatles' Yesterday
Denver's Conutry Road Take me Home
The Eagles' Hotel California

Chilean National Anthem (in Spanish)

Study hard. I want your best effort in this final activity.
See ya.

Some interesting sites

Dear students,
If you are interested in the web page about phonetics... this is the address:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/

Others:

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/english.htm
http://club.telepolis.com/phonetics/
http://www.learnenglish.de/Level1/Pronunciation/phoneticpage.htm
http://www.unibuc.ro/eBooks/filologie/mateescu/cuprins.htm

Bye

Photo Session

These are some of the pictures I took in classes.

Enjoy or suffer!

Task 11: 'Jokes in English'

A Birthday Cake

A man wanted to celebrate his wife's birthday by throwing a party. So he went to order a birthday cake. The baker asked him what message to put on the cake. He thought for a while and said, "Let's put, 'You are not getting older, you are getting better' on the cake".
The baker then asked, "How do you want me to arrange it?" The man replied, "Well, put 'You are not getting older', at the top and 'you are getting better' at the bottom.
The real fun didn't start until the cake was opened and everyone at the party saw the message on the cake: "You are not getting older at the top, you are getting better at the bottom"!

Geography Class

An elementary school teacher was trying to encourage her students to be active in class. While teaching geography, she looked at one student and said, "Stanley, go to the map and find North America". Stanley stood up, went to the front of the room where a world map was hanging, and pointed to North America. "Correct!", the teacher exclaimed. "Now class, can anyone tell me who discovered America?". The whole class shouted together, "Stanley"!

A Big Decision

A six-year-old boy walked up to his father one day and announced, 'Daddy, I'd like to get married.'
His father replied hesitantly, 'Sure, son, do you have anyone special in mind?'
'Yes,' answered the boy. 'I want to marry Grandma.'
'Now, wait a minute,' said his father. 'You don't think I'd let you get married with my mother, do you?'
'Why not?' the boy asked. 'You married mine.'

Jokes taken from http://teacherjoe.us/Jokes.html

Tasks:

1. Tell a joke in English.

2. Write the underlined words and find its meaning related to the context. Deliver the meanings next class, on Wednesday, June 25th, written in a sheet of paper.

These are the last tasks for this semester so let's make your best effort and enjoy your winter holidays.

See ya!

Task 10: 'Chilean students return to classroom after strike'

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) -- A million high school students returned to classrooms Tuesday after a three-week strike wrested new education money from Chile's socialist government.

Many, however, said they were skeptical about official pledges to end inequalities in the schools.

The return to school after weeks of rowdy sit-ins and sometimes-violent marches through the capital came after a long holiday weekend in Chile and as the new government of President Michelle Bachelet launched an advisory panel to draft education reforms.

Bachelet already has pledged nearly $200 million for repairs to hundreds of dilapidated schools, as well as benefits including thousands of free school lunches and free entrance exams.

Bachelet on Tuesday met with Education Minister Martin Zilic and urged officials to "go full steam ahead and draw up the best reform plans possible for boosting the quality of our education system."

But student leaders said they were wary of the 72-member presidential advisory council she set up last week to deal with student demands for reform. Students had demanded a majority of seats, but wound up with only 12 of 72.

"We won a lot through our mobilization, but there's still a lot left to fight for," said one student organizer, Maria Jesus Sanhueza.

The students on Monday announced plans for their own commission to offer proposals for improving schools, and they warned they were ready to act if the official recommendations don't satisfy them.

"We are confident that it (the council) will function. But if it doesn't, we will be the first to respond," student organizer Karina Delfino said.

Bachelet's council has three months to recommend modifications to a law enacted by former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet the day before his 1973-1990 government ended. It made municipalities responsible for education, leading to a gap in school quality between rich and poor areas.

The unexpectedly strong and fast-growing student strike was the first major challenge for the Bachelet government that took office March 11. She had campaigned to improve an education system that has failed to match the advances of Chile's vigorous free-market economy.

Text was taken from: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/06/13/chile.students.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Questions:
1. What do you think about the last student's strike?
2. In what way did you participate in it?
3. What do you feel with the meassures given by the government to improve Chilean education?
4. What would you say or ask President Bachelet if you are in front of her now? (In one sentence)

DEADLINE: June 17th

Task 9: "Lennon's Jealous Guy"

This song belongs John Lennon. Appeared in the album Imagine in 1971 after Beatles' breakdown. This is one of the most beautiful songs Lennon wrote.

First, read it, then, listen it and finally answer the questions below.



JEALOUS GUY

I was dreaming of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was feeling insecure
You might not love me anymore
I was shivering inside
I was shivering inside
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy

I was trying to catch your eyes
Thought that you was trying to hide
I was swallowing my pain
I was swallowing my pain
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
Oh no, I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy, watch out
I'm just a jealous guy, look out babe
I'm just a jealous guy.

1. What did you feel the first time you read the lyrics?

2. What did you feel the first time you listened the song?

3. Who do you think this song is about?

4. Explain in your own words -in English or Spanish- these sentences:

• ... I began to lose control...
• ... I was feeling insecure...
• ... I was swallowing my pain...
• ... I'm just a jealous guy, watch out...

DEADLINE: JUNE 3th

Good News for me and for YOU!

Dear Students,
I took this week off beacuse my baby was born on May 19th. So I thought I could have enough time to upload a new article for this week, but that will be impossible. So I recommend all of you that in this 'free' week send up all your massages about task 7 and 8.
My new son's name is Philippe Michel Rossel Guzmán. I'm happy but at the same time very tired.
This wednesday you will be with other English teacher. He has more vocabulary for you about Inside The Plane.

Remember that with the vocabularies you have to create a simple role play using phrases and words learnt.
Good Luck and see ya on Wednesday, May 31st.
Bye.

Task 8: "Warning marks start of Chile's polluted winter"

Argentine Gas Cuts Force Businesses To Use Polluting Fuels(April 19, 2005) The government of the Metropolitan Region lifted its pollution warning Monday, saying the quality of the air had improved since a pre-emergency was declared the day before.

But this warning could be the first of many this year, as Argentine gas cuts force more companies to use less environmentally friendly fuels.

The state of pre-emergency was announced Sunday morning after the Air Particle Quality Index (ICAP) registered critical levels of pollution at the monitoring station in Pudahuel. Traffic restrictions were imposed and factories were ordered to halt production.

These measures, combined with the usual decrease in emissions caused by traffic and factories during the weekend, caused ICAP figures to fall by one-third by Monday.

“(Sunday’s) ICAP reading signals a change in the atmosphere that happened quicker than expected. This meant businesses could start up again,” said Ximena Rincón, governor of the Metropolitan Region.

But even though the state of pre-emergency was revoked, air quality is expected to get worse in the capital in the coming days and months, resulting in high levels of smog in Santiago.

With winter on the horizon, gas shortages caused by Argentine cuts are becoming a greater problem for Chile’s fuel-consuming businesses.

“Predictions for this year have not been fulfilled because of the energy crisis,” Rincón admitted.

Executives have been forced to seek cheaper types of fuel after Finance Minister Nicolás Eyzaguirre rejected a bid for subsidies made by businesses affected by gas shortages (ST, March 11). But this will have repercussions on the environment because the alternate fuels emit the most fine and harmful polluting particles, known as PM2.5. Environmentalist Dep.

Guido Girardi from the Party for Democracy (PPD) predicts this winter will be one of the most polluted ever because companies will continue to use petrol instead of natural gas.“There is no way this can be resolved. Pollution will not be tackled until it gets a lot worse than it is now,” he said.

The weather has also played a part in the poor air quality. According to Chile’s Meteorological Directorate, the recent lack of wind will continue at least until Wednesday. Meteorologist Patricio Urra said that during the next weeks, there will not be climatic shift bringing windy weather. “At this time, we don’t have a weather front coming from the coast, which is what we need for better air quality,” he said.

The air quality in Santiago is already worse than predicted, according to reports from the Santiago offices of the National Environmental Commission (CONAMA RM). CONAMA RM Director Pablo Badenier said pollution will get worse toward the middle of the week, but he assured that the authorities were right to withdraw the state of pre-emergency Monday.

“Our team believes that on Wednesday the air conditions are going to get worse because there are always more emissions during the week. We will keep an eye on conditions next week by constantly monitoring the ICAP,” Badenier said.

Critics say that CONAMA RM is not taking the necessary measures to avoid Saturday’s critical levels of pollution. In response, Badenier said it is always difficult to foresee the first states of pre-emergency each year as weather conditions are not always stable, making it difficult to predict when high particle accounts will occur.

“We can’t always be certain our predictions are correct. We weren’t capable of predicting the very bad air conditions on Saturday,” Badenier said.Dep. Girardi, who is a physician, is trying to make La Moneda aware that their current pollution policy will benefit no one.

“Loosening restrictions on emissions, as the government plans to, will create a greater health risk for children with bronchitis and cause cancer and heart attacks in adults,” he said.

Girardi proposes that the government offer tax breaks as an incentive to companies who are prepared to invest money in reducing emissions. He also suggests that companies with the worst pollution records should be moved out of the capital and that PM2.5 particle emissions should be monitored daily.

Article taken from: http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=8849&topic_id=1

Questions:
1. What do you think about the pollution in Santiago?
2. Why the pollution is harder year after year?
3. What could you do if the government asked you some help to solve this problem?

DEADLINE: Sunday, May 20th.

Task 7: "South Americans reach energy deal"

Argentina and Brazil have accepted Bolivia's moves to take state control of its gas industry but want talks on future prices and foreign involvement.

The deal was reached at an energy summit which also included Venezuela.
Earlier this week President Evo Morales took control of Bolivia's natural gas industry and told foreign firms to leave if they did not comply.
Brazil and Argentina rely on cheap gas imports from Bolivia and fear that nationalisation could push prices up.

Staying or going?
"The important thing is that gas supplies for the countries needing them have been guaranteed and that prices will be discussed in the most democratic form possible between all parties involved," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said following the meeting.

Correspondents say that while Mr Morales probably faced some stiff arguments from Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and his Brazilian counterpart President Lula, he was likely to have been supported by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela has South America's largest reserves of oil and gas, and it has pledged to help Bolivia in the nationalisation of its own energy industry.

The Bolivian government has said it will start renegotiating energy contracts with all foreign companies from next week, giving them 180 days reach agreement, or face eviction.

They will be asked to hand over majority control of all Bolivian operations to the country's state oil firm, Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos.

State-owned Brazilian energy firm Petrobras, the largest foreign investor in Bolivian energy, had said it would cancel further investments, but President Lula said this decision could be reversed after more negotiations.

Spanish giant Repsol, which has invested more than 1bn euros in Bolivia, said it plans to remain in the country and co-operate with Mr Morales' government.

Article taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4974710.stm

1. What do you think about the article?
2. Bolivia's government took control of the natural gas industry. Who is worried for that? and Why?
3. Why did all these presidents meet in Argentina?
4. Write some new words found in the article.

DEADLINE: SATURDAY, MAY 13th.

Good News for this week!!!

Boys and girls,
This week -from May 1st to May 7th- there won't be articles to read and comment beacuse you'll have written tests and I prefer you have all time time necessary to study without having any excuses.
Enjoy this free week without articles. I'll upload your marks soon, so stay tuned!

See ya soon.