GOOD FOR YOU!! & MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

This is what Cristina ,the librarian of Pravia Public Library wrote to me last week. Whatever we can do to motivate to young and not so young people with learning problems is worth the effort. Lack of understanding other people´s lives and problems makes us self-centred and proud, not realizing that at any time we can be in the position of the people we ignore.

Querida Ana: perdona que haya estado unos días sin dar señales de vida, pero anduve algo atareada. Acabo de terminar la reunión con Ascivitas y les leí los comentarios de tus alumnos. De su parte te transmito que están sorprendidos ante la repercusión de su trabajo y muy contentos de que sus ideas puedan servir para concienciar a la gente. En un momento determinado, Reyes, la monitora, dijo que el libro había llegado a la cabeza de la gente, y, rápidamente, José Antonio dijo: "Y al corazón, que es mejor". En fin, que para nosotros está resultando una experiencia buenísima. Además, a mí personalmente me sirve para refrescar un poco el inglés, que lo tengo olvidadísimo...
Mil gracias por todo. Seguimos en contacto.
Cristina

Knowing Asturias
Sometimes when we see a disabled person we think that they are different but that´s a wrong thought . We shouldn´t concentrate on the appearance . When I read this article I knew it. They like eating the same thing we do: letizias, marañueles,boroñines,fabada, picadillo, callos and ,of course, sidrina. They usually go to the same places in Asturias we do, and incredibly they know a lot of things that I´m sure many people don´t. They strain for understanding things and for improving their lives and this is a lot more important than being intelligent. They are proud of being Asturian , me too. so why are they different?

Cristina Martín. NI2·

My name´s Almudena ,I live in La Felguera, Asturias, and I´m 16 years old. I read your book and I think it´s very interesting and funny. I chose the topic of partners because I have a boyfriend. We have been together for two years. I also have homosexual friends and I get on well with them. I agree with them because everybody has freedom to do what they want and no one is different: we have the same rights and the same obligations
Almudena Gómez. NB2C

The following song has been suggested by Cristina Martin. It´s a Christmas Carol. Please, I beg you to sing it. Great listening exercise.

HAVE A GREAT TIME ,ENJOY THESE DAYS WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PLEASE, HAVE A THOUGHT FOR THE UNDERDOGS, HOMELESS AND UNDERPRIVILEGED. AS ONE OF YOU SAID, THEY ALSO HAVE RIGHTS.

ROYAL WEDDING

My name´s Claudia . I study biology at Univeersity and I live in El Entrego. Nowadays I go to Langreo EOI and I have read La Emigración and La Muerte, chapters of the book El Mundo a través de Nuestros Ojos. I liked them very much and I´m impressed with the clarity of your conclusions . I think that these topics can´t be explained more clearly and concisely. In my opinion the book is an excellent idea because we don´t normally look at the world from a point of view different from ours and we become very unrealistic people.

Claudia Alonso. NI2E

My name´s Merced and I liked the two articles I read very much. The first one is about the library and you send us a message : that we must look after the books and CDs we borrow from the library. The second one is abour the royal family and it´s like a short story . You tell us about the life of the king, the queen and the prince. When you say that you would like to be a prince or a princess to give presents to other people, I think you are already prices and princesses because you have given us your articles with your opinions as a prize. You can do much more. Carry on with these great ideas. Congratulations.
Mercedes Suárez NI2E

MORE ARTICLES

Hi, my name´s Claudia .I´m 28 ,I live in Langreo and this is my fourth year at the School of Languages. This is the first time I´ve made a review of this type of articles written by young people and adults with learning problems. I have read the chapter titled Drugs and I find it incredible the way they describe so naturally what they see on TV or what you hear. They describe everything meticulously and there are things that make you laugh.In my opinion there are two important statements which sum up all the article "Drugs is a business which gives a lot of money to four shameless " and " a person who takes drugs is because he wants , nobody makes him do it". I think these people should do more cultural things like this one. Congratulations
Claudia Cases. NI2E

My mane ´s Ainoa, I´m sixteen years old and I´m from La Felguera . I´m studying first of bachiller at Santa Barbara High School. I also go to the Official School of Languages where I am a second year student of English. I´ve read your book El Mundo a través de Nuestros Ojos. I think the chapterabout the royal family is very interesting and funny. I also share your opinion about when you say how busy the royal family is. To be a price or a princess is very complicated and I also think that the king and the queen go to many excursions . Your opinion about the royal wedding is very amusing . I won´t be a pricess bacause I don´t like the obligations of the royal family.
My congratulations for your book I hope there will be a second part.
Ainoa Lebrato. NB2C

Neyla Carballo (NI2E) suggested that I should attach this song to the blog. It´s a great idea and I hope you´ll like it. I accept more contibutions as long as the song is easily understandable . SING, PLEASE, SING

NB2A/C

First term speaking exam.

Two topics:

--Talk about yourself, your daily routines,your family, your studies ,your hobbies, what you did last summer and your plans for the future.

--Picture description.

Those who finished first did some review exercises about questions and about the future.

NI2E

First term speaking exam. Two topics:

--Picture description .

--A topic to develop among those dealt with in class the previous months.

COMPOSITIONS: FOR AND AGAINST

- Better say people instead of persons.
-A commitment to do sth.
-We can go to the mountain.( go to..., wrong: go on the beach)

-To enjoy the country. ( wrong:to enjoy to the country)

-If the first verb has can and you add more verbs, they can´t have to. We can go to the beach and walk. (wrong: we can go to the beach and to walk)

-It is in the country where a lot of people (wrong: it´s a country where a lot of people...)

-Living in the country is boring (wrong:is bored)

-Beautiful walks in the forest (wrong:beutiful walks between forest )

-A relaxing life (wrong: a relax life)

-Living in a town is very comfortable,everybody knows it.(wrong: everybody know them)

-You don´t wait for hours in a traffic jam to go to work (for working)

-We hear that villages are abandoned by young people.(wrong: for young people)

-There isn´t so much gossip (wrong: there aren´t so gossips)

-It is difficult to choose a place to live (wrong: is difficult to choice a place)

-We can choose (wrong:we can choice)

-We can choose to live in the country if we want to live in a quiet area (wrong:we can choose to live in a town if we want to live in a quiet area)

-Other advatages (wrong: others advantages)

-We don´t know who he man who lives next door is (wrong: we don´t know who is the man who lives next door)

-Means of transport (wrong:mains of transport)

-Living in a town has got lots of advantages too, for example ,means of transport: train,bus, cab..(wrong: living in the country..., wrong concept)

-On the Internet (wrong: in the Internet)

-If you live in a Sanish town .(wrong: if you live in a Spanish´s town)

-At the same time as an American (wrong: as the same time as an American)

-Depending on the point of view (wrong: depending from the point of view)

-The point of view of everyone (wrong: everyone´s point of view, anyway ,it sounds very clumsy. I would say: depending on your particular point of view)

You must write what you are asked . The topic was : Living in towns versus living in the country. It´s not about spending holidays in towns ot in the country. Read carefully the topic because on some of you has misunderstood it and has mistaken the country for the town (living in a town is all right if you want to have a quiet life, you don´t have to wait long hours in traffic jams...) with these mistakes you ruin your compositions.

FIRST TERM EXAMS

My name´s Neyla. I´m from Laviana and I live with my boyfriend and my two cats , I also go to The Official School of Languages of Langreo to learn English and German, there my teacher Ana lent me the book you have written and I enjoyed it very much. I especially liked your article titled Discapacidad or Disability because I completely agree with you. Everybody has handicaps to get over and we also have to keep trying new challenges . With regard to the people who call you fool, you mustn´t listen to them because they have the worst handicap of all: they can´t understand other people who are different from them.
Congratulations on your good work and I hope to hear news from you soon.
Neyla Carbllo. NI2E


My name´s Alberto I have lived in Langreo for four years , I´m an optician and because of that I know many disabled people with problems in their eyes.
It´s true ,sometimes, when young people meet to make a "botellón" that things can turn out wrong ,without control,but it also depends on the make of the drinks and the drugs they take.If you think "botellón" must be forbidden, you are on the right way.Normally, young people try to have fun with it, bgut htere are many things to do better than drinking alcohol. All of us would enjoy our lives and our free time doing healthier activities.
Perhaps in the future you could write a new book telling us your ideas to enjoy the night without alcohol.People like you can show us the other side of diversion, and free time.
I have also read what you think about people with any kind of disability. I agree with you, do whatever you want in spite of of those who think you have a disease.a disease might have damaged your body´s abilities ,but if you want to be successful you only have to work hard ,like anybody else.don´t care about those who don´t respect your condition. they are extremely foolish to understand you. the best way to fight discrimination is to prove you can do a lot of things as well as anybody else.
Alberto Pintos Novo. NI2E

FIRST TERM EXAMS

• Thursday ,11th: SPEAKING
• Monday ,15th: WRITING
• Tuesday 16 th:READING AND WRITING
• Thursday,18th: REPORT

NB2A/C

--Homework:Workbook.p.26 ,27. Grammar. unit 28

----Composition: St.b.p.37. An Informal Letter. We learnt how to write them, in this case you are a foreign student who goes to Great Britain to live with a family. You saw how to write, order and express your ideas in a logical way. A composition for Thursday.

--Reading and listening:st.b.p. 34. I was only dreaming, about the interpretation of dreams . Some statements about the topic (true-false),a few drawings to order and a dialogue about a psychoanalyst and a patient. Then, another activity where you have to guess the interpretation of the patient´s dreams and check it after the listening.

--Phonetics: St.b.p35. Sentence stress. A practice with strong and weak forms :I´m meeting her tonight.

--Speaking: pair work A:p.110/B:p.114 where A is the patient and B is the psychoanalyst who interpet A´s dreams.You swap roles.

--Homework: p.28,29 ,.A compositon for Thursday.

NI2E
--Homework: workbook, p.20. St. B.p.30, 31 .A reading about perfection exercise with blanks to be filled in. In turns you read it out ,I noted down pronunciation mistakes and we checked them on the blackboard.
YOU SHOULD READ MORE AND THERE ARE LOADS OF BOOKS WITH AUDIO IN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT LIBRARY.
-- Listening: St.b. p. 30. About activies and hobbies people are hooked on.It dealt with formal and informal expressions to be used in different situations.you had to spot who they were talking about and what they were addicted to, then you listened to some extracts with colloquial expressions.
--Writing: St.b.p. 34. A For and Against composition. I strongly recommend to pay attention to this activity since it has an importance of its own.Special emphasis on linking words and tips to order paragraphs and ideas.
--Homework: a composition about Living in a town V living in the country or Working for a company V working on your own.

FIRST TERM EXAMS

• Thursday ,11th: SPEAKING
• Monday, 15th: WRITING
• Wednesday,17th: READING AND LISTENIG
• Thursday,18th: REPORT
  

VERY GOOD NEWS FOR ME AND YOU

I was given last week the free choice of giving supplementary classes instead of helping with extra curricular activities. I undoubtedly decided the supplemetary activities since I rather teach and keep in touch with my students than do office work or organize other activities different from teaching. This is as far as me is concerned; as far as you , here you have a wonderful opportunity you shouldn´t miss as it´s free,attendance isn´t compulsory and what about the chance of practising those skills you have to improve? The schedule goes as follows:
--Level: INTERMEDIATE

--Classroom: B-14

--WRITING & READING: Tuesday .19,30-21,00

--LISTENING: Wednesday . 16,00-17,30

--SPEAKING: Wednesday.18,00-19,30

DO COME TO THESE CLASSES ,THEY´RE WORTH IT!!

COMPOSTIONS NB2A

In the middle of this picture you can see a small dog lying in a basket. It´s brown and white and it looks csared. On the left to the dog there´s a lead and a dish, on the right to the dog there´s a large cardboard and there are are some newspapers. Behind the dog there´s a glass with some water and next to the glass there´s a small ball.In the background you can see a white walland in the foreground there´s a big window of a balcony.It was a sunnu day and the picture was in the summer.

Jessica Gutierrez. NB2A

This is my favourite photo and the place is where my grandparents live. I took this photo when I was six years old in the summer og 1997. I was in Veguín with my grandparents , mu brother and my cousin . The sun was shining and we were playing in the garden and we wanted to find a ring that I had lost. Suddenly it started to rain and then a rainbow appeared . I decided to take a photo. I keep it in my album because it´s beautiful. I still remember that day.

Laura Alvarez NB2A

This is one of my favourite photos . It was taken in the summer of 2006 while my friend and me were climbing the Aneto. We were in Benasque for a week and we climbed some mountains there.

It was a sunny day and the view at the top was wonderful. I remember that we didn´t stay tthere much because it was very cold , about five degrees above zero. the climbing was hard and we were walking for twelve hours.We woke up at five o´clock in the morning and arrive at the refuge at five o´clock in the evening . At night we were exhausted and slept for twelve hours.

In the background of the picture , on the right we can see the snowy top of aneto and behind me we can see a waterfall.

Raúl Fernández Loreiro. NB2A

NB2A/C

You were given the tests you had done the week before and doubts were solved.

--Homework: grammar, unit 27 about predictions with will/won´t

-- Reading: Section 3C. St.b.p.32 . I´ll Always Love You.A reading titled Promises, Promises.While you were reading it out I was taking notes about words which had been mispronounced. When you finished, we checked them on the blackboard. Please, make sure you won´t do these mistakes again, some of them are very basic and you shouldn´t be making them.

--Vocabulary :about words in the reading

--Pronunciation of two-syllable words. First you did it with your classmate and then we checked it with the CD.

--Grammar: st.b.p.33. Will and shall for promises, offers and decisions made at the moment of speaking. A matching activity , a fill in and in the thir exercise we inferred the basic rules.Grammar Bank on page 130 with the rules and a copule of exercises and grammar ,unit 28 with more detailed information.

--Vocabulary: St.b.p.33. Verb + back. Expressions such as casll back, give it back, take it back and so on. five dialogues to complete with these expressions. tehy were checked with the listening of the dialogues.

--Speaking: St.b.p.117 I´ll/shall I Game in which you had to use these structures to express promises, offers and decisions.

--Song: White Flag with more practice.

--Homework: workbook, p.26 and 27. Grasmmar, unit 28

REMEMBER THAT THERE WON´T CLASSES NEXT MONDAY

NI2E

You were given the tests you had done the week before and doubts were solved.

--Homework: Grammar, units 18 and 61: usually for present habits, used to for past habits and be/get used to doing for something which is not new for you.

--Speaking: St.b.p.30. Addictions : Are you addicted to cleaning the house,playing a sport, gambling... and more questions about the topic.

--Vocabulary: word building.workbook.p.21

--Song: it´s my Party.

--Homework: workbook.p.20 student book.p.30 and 31 ,the reading activity.

REMEMBER THAT THERE WON´T BE CLASSES NEXT MONDAY

RULES AND GOD

Rules
From my point of view, nobody can´t have summed up better the real importance of rules, everybody must obey,no matter who you are a policeman or the best judge.
I am surprised about the great respect that the author of the article reflects in spite of not being an expert in the matter, he recognizes that there are rules everywhere, at school, at home, or when you use a train, you must obey the rules there. Something that I don´t always do, especially when I drive my car.
This article has made me consider if I know the rules as well as I thought I expected .Thanks for this beautiful and interesting article, it has showed me something important.

M. Carmen García, a student of Law. NI2E

God
My name´s Fina and I´m a second year (NB) student of English at Langreo EOI . I´m thirty two years old . I live in siero qith my husband and I work in a school with children with motor problems.I´m very talkative and friendly : I like trekking , going to the conema and travelling very much .What about you?

Last weekend I read your book and I liked it a lot because it´s very funny . My favourite chapter was the one about god.for me god is very special too because my father died and I know that he is in heaven with him. I think we should give thanks to god everyday for all we have. Every Sunday I go to church to listen to the mass because it´s god´s house. There are some very beautiful churches in Spain, like Burgos cathedral.

When I travel I love sightseeing,visiting museums ,churches, gardens...they´re very interesting.Early it will be Christmas time, so I´m going to sing some carols with my family: Fishes in the river,Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells.

Fina Gil. NB2C

NB2A/C
--Homework:Workbook. p.22 and 23.
--Grammar: St.B.p.30 The Pessimist Phrase Book with will and won´t for predictions. Grammar Bank.p.130 .We saw the rules again,especially for those who hadn´t attended classes yesterday.Grammar ,unit 27 the rules , will for predictions.
--Vocabulary: St.B. p. 30 .Opposite verbs: pass an exam and fail an exam. Vocabulary bank. p.149 with more opposite verbs : lend and borrow, push and pull,miss and catch. A memory activity to test your classmate the opposites they remembered.
--Phonetics: St.b. p.31 . Pronunciation of ´ll and weak forms in sentences like you´ll break your leg. We did some practice with the CD.
--Listening: A radio programme where five people call to give tips about positive thinking . A sentence completion exercise.
--Speaking: St.B.p.31.Matching positive phrases with the situations using I´m sure + will/won´t.e.g.I have an exam tomorrow. Good luck.I´m sure you´ll pass.
Are you a positive thinker ? with very common expressions such as I hope so, I don´t think so, I hope not, perhaps...
--Homework: Workbook p.24 and 25. Grammar the exercises of unit 27 .

NI2E
--Grammar: A revision of future tenses with: going to, present continuous, ´ll, future continuous and future perfect.
--Homework: Reading, st.b.p.29. you took it in turns to read the article Confessions of a Coffee Addict . I noted down the pronunciation mistakes ,which were a lot ,I´m afraid ,and checked them on the blackboard. You all need extra practice and the best way is to borrow books with CDs from the library we have at the English Department. Read and listen at the same time, then listen and repeat. You´ll improve your pronunciation soon.
--Grammar: used to for past habits, to be used to doing sth for an activity not new and usually for present habits. We did the activities on p.29.Then on p.132, we saw the grammar rules and did the exercises and after that we saw chapetrs 18 and 61 in your grammar books.
--Speaking: St.b.p.29 to practice the new grammar items.
--Writing: a photocopy with situations to fix these ideas giving detailed reasons for each choice we made.
--Homework: a speaking activity :st.b.p.30. Hooked on...? and grammars ,units 18 and 61

A WRITER I KNOW

Jorge Ordaz was born in Barcelona in 1946. He lives in Oviedo where he teaches petrology and geochemistry in the Depatment of Geology in Oviedo University. He is also a researcher in Instituto Universitario Feijoo del Siglo XVIII and founder member of Asociación de Escritores de Asturias.He has mainly published novels and short stories .Finalist of Herralde award (1985) with Prima Donna, and finalist of the Nadal award (1993) with La Perla del Oriente. He has also published and translated poems from British and American writers and poets. He has contributed in newspapesr such as La Nueva España, La Voz de Asturias, El Comercio and cultural magazines :Los Cuadernos del Norte, Ábaco, Pretexto, Letras Libres, Clarín . He has taken part in talks and literary meetings.
Books:
- Gabinete de Ciencias Asturales. (Along with Juan Luis Martínez).
KRK Ediciones, Oviedo, 2004.
- Prima Donna;. Editorial Anagrama. Barcelona,1986
- Las Confesiones de un Bibliófago. Espasa Calpe, Madrid, 1989. .
- La Perla del Oriente. Ediciones Destino, Barcelona, 1993.
- Perdido Edén. Ediciones del Bronce, Barcelona, 1998. Edelvives, Colección Alandar Zaragoza, 2004
- Los Cuadernos del Bandolero, Gijón, 2002.
- El Cazador de Dinosaurios. KRK Ediciones, Oviedo, 2005.
Private editions :
- Celebración de la Impostura. Relatos. Oviedo, 1980.
- El tigre en reposo. Siete poemas de Frederic Prokosch.. Oviedo, 1999.
- Cuaderno de Manila.Barcelona, 2004.
- Melitensia. Oviedo, 2006.
- Conradiana. Oviedo, 2008.
Translation of poems of British and American writers:
- Rolf Jacobsen (Hora de Poesía, 1978)
- Kenneth Fearing (La última canana de Pancho Villa, 1999, 2000)
- Delmore Schwartz (Ultramar, 2000)
- Carl Rakosi (La última canana de Pancho Villa, 2001)
- Horace Gregory (Ultramar, 2003)
- Edward Abbey (La última canana de Pancho Villa, 2004)
- James Kirkup, David Ignatow, Muriel Rukeyser, Peter Viereck, Charles Reznikoff, - Gwendolyn Brooks (La última canana de Pancho Villa, 2006)
eBooks:
- Conradiana (Descarga disponible desde el blog: http://jorgeordaz.blogspot.com)

I REGRET TO TELL YOU THAT THERE WON´T BE A CHRISTMAS PARTY AS IT HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED .IT´S GOING TO BE PUT OFF UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY.

NBA2/C

--Homework: workbook, p,19,20 and 21.

--Test: Grammar and listening ,unit 2.

--Listening: St.b.p29 . A true-false exercise where Rima, the girl from Lithuania is interviewed.

--Vocabulary: Phrasal verbs with Look. Look for, look after and look forward to. We did the fill in the blanks activity and an oral one using these verbs.

--Pronunciation: St. b. p. 29.Sentence stress with weak forms.

3B. The Pessimist Phrase Book.St.b.p.30. Will/won´t for predictions.Sentence completion with will and won´t.e.g.We´re having a party in the garden- It´ll rain. Grammar Bank on page 130 with the rules and exercises.

--Homework: workbook, p.22 and 23

NI2E

-- I collected some of the articles about Ascivitas and urged those who still haven´t done it to step on it.

--Tests: grammar and listening ,unit 2.

--Speaking: St.B.p.28. Quiz:Caffeine: Fact or Myth?. A pair work activity A:p.114, B:p.119.You took it in turns to back up your opinions about the topic.

--Vocabulary: adjectives + prepositions,e,g. keen on,fed up with,hooked on...

--Pronunciation: Stress of the sentences of the previous exercise.

--Homework: Students´book, page 29, the reading activity:Confessions of a Coffee Addict. Read the article and answetr the questions.