No I didn't! Yes you did! The Fabulous Monty Pythons

As I promised, here you have the sketch by the Monty Pythons to practice question tags and short answers: The Argument Clinic. 
This is just a sample of the fabulous, marvellous, and unique humor displayed by this British surreal comedy group, whose comedy sketches were first aired in the BBC in 1969. 
The group's influence on comedy has been compared to the Beatles' influence on music, and, personally, I couldn't agree more.
 Please, don't miss the argument versus contradiction discussion, you're definitely going to have a laugh! 

To help you understand the jokes, here follows the script of the sketch:

The Argument Clinic Script

By the way, don't you think this type of argument clinic could be a fantastic way to avoid arguing with our family, friends, and workmates in these stressful times? We should all get a voucher for Christmas!

Exam practice for Xmas: Writing

And last but not least, feel free to complete the writing assignment below, it's been reproduced from a real NI2 exam. To be handed in in class the first week of January.

Writing a letter to a friend

Exam Practice for Xmas: Listening

And here goes your listening exam practice.

But before you rush into it, please listen to this first: it is very very important that you fully understand the instructions to complete the exercise, and all the words and phrases in each of the questions. Do not start the audio until you understand all the information in the exam sheet, will you? Thanks.

Listening exam practice: Fill in the gaps. On Greenpeace

Audio on Greenpeace

Listening exam practice: On TV

Audio on TV

Exam Practice for Xmas: Reading

Here goes your exam practice on Reading. Good luck!

Reading Exam NI2: Cloze

Reading Exam NI2: Multiple Choice

Required Reading before Xmas: Roald Dahl's Short Stories

Most of you are already acquainted with this very famous Welsh author, there is actually quite a few books by him in our library. He's written very many different things (novels, poetry, scripts for films...), but he's best known for his children's books, and short stories. Dahl's short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, macabre, and often darkly comic mood. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.

Before the end of this year you are required to read five of his very famous short stories: The Umbrella Man, The Landlady, Lamb to the Slaughter, The Hitchhiker, and The Way Up to Heaven. Here they are, for you to download. A total of 45 pages that you are asked to read by December 12th/13th (you have two weeks for that).

After that, we will do plenty of things with what you've read, but for the time being concentrate on reading the five stories, and understanding all they say, will you? The rest of the instructions will be delivered in class by Ignacio.

Enjoy the read!

Roald Dahl's five short stories

President Obama's Getting Ready for a New Job Interview

President Obama is gettting booted from the White House soon... After 8 years of no job interviews nor internal promotions, he probably needs some tips to help him find the right answers at a job interview, don't you think?

Read this first

PS: I'd like to thank my friend and fellow English teacher Michel for sharing this with us. Thanks again, bro!

Extreme Interviews You Said? Check This Out!

Jobs have become harder and harder to get in this 21st-Century-Western World. That's probably why HRM (Human Resource Management) has come up with this new version of "extreme interviews" that we just started to address the other day in class. Check out what the Heineken Company did, to see how serious this can get...

PS: I'd like to thank my friend and fellow teacher Michel, for showing me this reality...

Wanna double check your grammar and vocabulary revision?

Check it out here

Don't Stop Me Now!

I actually got a question for you, guys: How does the man actually mime the planet Mars? Enjoy!

PS: And what about a "real good time"? Got the mime for that?

School Calendar Year 2016-17

Info to Get Started in NI2

Dear all,

Find below all that you need to know about being a student in NI2!

Info to get started in NI2

Remember now it's the time to start off with the self-improvement sheet. Go for it!

Hoja de superación de errores

Let's Get Funky!

 Daft Punk is a famous French  electronic music duo who released a great funky song three years ago called Lose Yourself to Dance. The title is totally straightforward: lose your fears, lose your shyness, lose your worries... get lost into the music, and JUST DANCE. I believe that this is definitely the attitude to learn a language, we just have to dance ourselves into it!

The video you're just about to see is a tribute to those funky people who back in the 70s and 80s danced  to the music in total joy and freedom in one the most famous TV shows in the US: The Soul Train.

Enjoy!

Music to Welcome You to NI2

Dear all,

Here is a really nice song by First Aid Kit, a Swedish Folk Band which has become quite famous in the last years due to the beautiful playing and singing of these two sisters. How about listening to this song to get our wheels turning for the coming new year of English? (And our feet moving too...) 

Never thought that I was weak
Always thought I could get hurt pretty bad
Still get up on my own two feet

I always believed that I was free
That I had some sense of integrity
That would rise above whatever tried to change me

But honey, now I won't wait
For something to bring me round and smile
'Cause that only sticks for a while
Then I'm back again

Oh, I'm a master pretender

I always knew that I was young
But with a head held high and a sharp tongue
I could fool almost anyone

I never expected to be struck
By the fatal hands of fortune or by sheer bad luck

Now we won't change
And memories just rearrange
And fall into place
So I'm back again

Oh, I'm a master pretender

All the streets of New York City
Sure look pretty from way up here
And I was headed home, just felt more alone
The further I'd go

I always thought that you'd be here
But shit gets fucked up and people just disappear

So honey, now, don't be mad
Time has told me it can't be that bad
And if it is, well, I'll be goddamn
But I'll stick around

I'll be your master defender
Yeah, I'll stick around
I'll be your master defender

A Really Cool British Short Film: The Runners

The Runners: Why we interviewed people running for a film. Article fromThe Guardian Newspaper

Topics for the June Oral Exam

Topics for the June Oral Exam

#Occupy the Patio: Open Exhibit Humans of Pinto

These last days of May, students of Intermediate Level 1 have organized an exhibition in the patio to welcome the spring, and celebrate the joy of being alive, after surviving a looong year of studying English at our school! They share a tiny yet intimate bit of their feelings as humans.

Thanks a lot to all of you for just being around.

Love,

María

More Ayo for the Spring!

This beautiful  song is called "Down on my Knees"

Down on My Knees Lyrics

With love to Mar.

Topics for the Oral Exam April 2016

Topics for the Oral Exam April 2016

What is Love? By Alexander Milov, and Ayo

Alexander Milov is a Ukrainian sculptor. His art work called "Love" was shown at the Burning Man Festival, 2015, Nevada's Black Rock Desert

Ayo is a Nigerian-German song-writer and singer. Her name means Joy in Yoruba language.

Read the lyrics and fill in the gaps

Being Grateful and Showing It

A Little More about Dyslexia

Your classmate Ana, who gave us a very interesting and well-prepared presentation about dyslexia the other day in class, would like to share with us the following interview made to Steven Spielberg, where he is asked to talk about what it is like to be a dyslexic, like himself:

I hope you enjoy the interview, and learn something new about this not-so-uncommon disease. Thank you, Ana, for lending us the opportunity to understand others, or ourselves, better!

We'd Love to Hear About the Sport You Do!

We'd Love to Hear About the Sport You Do!

Fernando: Humm... That sounds like an interesting idea! What is that?
Teresa: It's an informal meeting to show the sport you do, and how you do it!
Fernando: Nice! And when is that?
Teresa: This Friday 11th at 5pm
Fernando: Perfect! where shall we meet?
Teresa: At the school. We are meeting in the library
Fernando: Cool! Listen, can I bring my gear? I'd like to show you how I actually use it when I go mountain climbing!
Teresa: Sure! Bring your stuff, I do historical fencing*, and I'm going to show you my equipment too!
Fernando: Wow, that sounds amazing! Hey, could you show us some pictures?
Teresa: Of course, I'll bring some!

Folks, don't miss this opportunity to teach and learn about different sports! I'll see you there!

historical fencing* = esgrima antigua

Human, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Our last post dealt with all kinds of humans living in New York, and their different lives, experiences, ideas, and perspectives. Here I propose a really touching documentary on humans, this time inhabitans of the whole planet, made by the French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Synopsis:

HUMAN is a collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and hapiness, as well as hatred and violence, HUMAN brings us face to face with the Other, making us reflect on our lives. From stories of everyday experiences to accounts of the most unbelievable lives, these poignant encounters share a rare sincerity and underline who we are -our darker side, but also what is most noble in us, and what is universal. Our Earth is shown at its most sublime through never-before-seen aerial images accompanied by soaring music, resulting in an ode to the beauty of the world, providing a moment to draw breath and for introspection.

Human Volume 1

Human Volume 2

Human Volume 3

People Watching: Humans of New York

Humans of New York, by Brandon Stanton

A friend just sent me this...

... and I just had to laugh...

Writing Assigment: Write a Letter to Yourself

Please, Find below the Writing Assignment for the month of February, to be turned in next week.

Write a Letter to Yourself at the Age of 16

Will You Be my Valentine?

Valentine's Day is coming up soon, and our class mailbox will be full of love letters by next week! If you haven't written a valentine letter to one of your classmates yet , please do so over the weekend, you can still post it on Monday/Tuesday in class.

Remember it's an anonymous letter, and we all love to hear sweet things, so don't be shy to express those loving feelings for your classmate!

And Why Not Some Vietnamese Food for a Starter?

As a starter to your extra listening practice, why not some Vietnamese food? The link I paste below presents a Vietnamese guy talking about typical dishes from his country, and what they are like. Please, complete the multiple choice questions after listening to him, and then submit your answers so that you can check your performance. 

Listen and complete the multiple choice questions

Thanks a lot, Julia, for this nice suggestion!

PS: I just saw you that you need to click on Vietnamese Food under Explore, on your left-hand side, ok?

Topics for the Oral Interaction Exam

Topics for the Oral Interaction Exam

New Year's Resolutions

Everybody's new year's resolutions for 2016 are inside a sealed envelope that will be opened in the last week of class, so that you wil be able to check on your actual progress, alright? Meanwhile, why don't you take a look at this list of 50 new year's resolutions ideas and how to achieve them? You may find yours in the list, and some tips to achieve your goal. Go for it!

50 New Year's Resolution Ideas and How to Achieve Them