Good summer holidays!!

WORLD BOOK DAY

Hi again, students!

As you know, we celebrated St George's Day yesterday in Aragon and other regions in Spain and other countries. In addition, it was World Book Day. One of the reasons why we celebrate this festivity on this day is the coincidence of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare's date of death.

Today I suggest you doing the folllowing activity. It is a Webquest. First you should read Shakespeare's timeline and then answer the quizz. Just click on the following link.

Webquest

I hope you like the webquest,

Sara.

Good writings!!

Hi students!!

Thank you for such good writings these days!! I hope you learnt from other students how to write better.

Bye for now,

Sara

Intouchables

"Intouchables"  delivers one of the funniest, most honest and touching films I have ever seen.

Sy is a failed robber, going through the motions and playing the stereotypical jobless inmigrant. Cluzet is a romantic and melancholy mind trapped in a useless body. The circumstances that bring them together are too funny to spoil here, but they meet , and a strange relationship quickly blossoms as they bring out the best in each other.

The film's simplicity is delightfully misleading: the script is a masterpiece of comedy writing, and however good the rest of the cast is, the central duo is magical. Sy's comic timing will have you in stitches, but it is his honesty and vulnerability that make you fall in love with the character. Cluzet isn't your typical sad-sack, instead, much of the finest pleasures in the film consist in watching him use his keen mind to mess with the world around him (a subplot about an abstract painting really takes the biscuit, you'll know it when you see it).

This is one of the most unique, beautiful and honest friendships ever committed to film. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry... a delightful celebration of everything in life that makes it worthwhile.

                                                                                  V-DM Review

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day                                

On 17th March, Irish people celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It is a well-known celebration around the world, not only in Ireland.

Some parades take place in the USA such as in New York City. You can watch a video and see this parade.

New York's parade

Even in some European countries, Irish communities celebrate this festivity. For instance, you can see some Irish typical clothes in Irish pubs in Europe.

Who was St. Patrick? 

St. Patrick was the first bishop to arrive to Ireland in order to christianize it in the fourth century A.D.

When he was about 16, he was captured from Wales by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family.

After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked.

By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

You can watch the following video to learn more about his history :

Origins


How do they celebrate St. Patrick's?

You can visit the following website

St Patrick's Day 2012


Other traditions include greening some rivers such as Chicago's river. You can see an example in the following website.

Green Chicago River


 

 Some other icons related to Ireland are :

Let's finish with some Irish blessings on St Patrick's Day:

 

Pancake Day

What is Pancake Day?

Pancake Day is the last day before Lent and is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Pancakes are traditionally eaten on this day to use up the eggs and fat which were not eaten during the fasting period.

Why are pancakes eaten on Pancake Day?
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving thins up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last time to use up the foods that aren’t allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

 When is Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)?
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is therefore the final day before the beginning of Lent, a Christian festival leading up to Easter Sunday. Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3 February and 9 March.
 In 2012 Pancake Day was 21 February
 In 2013 Pancake Day will be 12 February 


 Why do Christians call the day “Shrove Tuesday”?
The name Shrove comes from the old word “shrive” which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

 What happens on Pancake Day in England?

On that day it is traditional to eat pancakes, toss pancakes and take part in pancake races. A Great Pancake Race takes place on Pancake day each year in London on Tower Hill Terrace, in front of the church of All Hallows by the Tower. This is a great fun event and is mirrored in thousands of smaller pancake races around the globe.




Watch this video!!!!!!

quote

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

Albert Einstein

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day



             Valentine's Day (Saint Valentine's Day) is an occasion celebrated on February 14. It is the traditional day on which people express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery.

    Who is St Valentine?

             There were many Christians names Valentine. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, at least three Saint Valentines are mentioned who are associated with 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as a Bishop of Interamna (now Terni in Italy) and the other lived and died in Africa.
The Valentine that most experts believe is the actual one remembered on St. Valentine's Day was a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.

     What happens on Valentine's Day in Great Britain?

             Each year in Britain, we spend around £503m on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts for Valentine's Day. Traditionally these were sent anonymously, but nowadays we often make it clear who is sending each 'Valentine'.

      Valentine's Day superstitions and traditions

             Traditionally, spring begins on St Valentine's Day (February 14th), the day on which birds chose their mates. In parts of Sussex Valentines Day was called 'the Birds' Wedding Day'.

             There are many other traditions and superstitions associated with romance activities on Valentine's day including:

                     the first man an unmarried woman saw on 14th February would be her future husband;
if the names of all a girl's suitors were written on paper and wrapped in clay and the clay put into water, the piece that rose to the surface first would contain the name of her husband-to-be.

                     if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a rich person.

                     in the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week.

                     in Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
Back to Folklore and Sayings about February

GROUNDHOG DAY

Groundhog day.
         The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."

         Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
         Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.
         The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.

         The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.
         If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.
         Approximately 90% of the time, Phil sees his shadow.
         Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution

Charles Dickens 200th anniversary

Charles Dickens is one of the most important English writers of all times.
He was born in Portsmouth on 7 February 1812 and he was a Victorian writer who best depicted characters, settings such as  London, Victorian culture and ideology and the English language varities of the time.

If you want to know more about his life and his works, you can visit the following websites :

 Biography

Here you have some descriptions of his famous characters, heroes and villains and the city he lived in.

Characters  and  Characters' names

He was also well-known for his quotes in some of his works. You can learn more about him in the next link.

Quotes

Due to this celebration, an official website has been designed in order to celebrate the bicentenary of his birth.

DICKENS 2012

In this webiste there is a calendar of events that you can check.

Interesting website about the different states of America

Here you will find a lot of information about the different states of America. Really useful to look for some famous people of each state, traditional food, and so on.

http://www.50states.com/

Term tests and cards

Hi again!!

I've just published on my page the dates for your tests and some ideas
to write down farewell cards to Mike.

Bye for now,

Sara.