HAPPY 8M 2022: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY🙌💪

Last year I took the golden opportunity to participate in an #EscuelasAmigas project about inspiring female figures from Galicia and Navarra that forged the way for future women generations not only in their areas but also across Spain. The project evolved from January to April 2021 and involved C1 English students from EOI Pontevedra and EOI Pamplona. My supportive fellow teacher was @Cristinakata and I also want to take advantage of the occasion to appreciate her work. I feel so grateful! We wouldn't have done it without her and her motivating students! 

During the project, we shared information about these remarkable women and learned why and how their personalities became so influential. Here they are, together with the name of every single student at EOI Pontevedra and Pamplona that made this possible:  

This year I feel honour-bound to commemorate that project as it brought attention to issues just as female cultural achievements, gender equality, and violence and abuse against women. Re-listening to the podcast and re-watching the video we designed then is my particular celebration of womanhood today March 8 2022!

ESCUELAS AMIGAS: FINAL PROJECT

Not only is the course coming to an end, but our Escuelas Amigas project is also about to finish. Students at both schools Pamplona and Pontevedra have been working hard to reach the final step: "Your favourite spot" listening activity. Up for a challenge? Click the last link on the presentation below and try to complete the task. Can you guess all the places and put the pictures in order?

I am definitely sure all of them agree that this has been an unrivalled experience. We have worked hand in hand together with students in Pamplona and discovered a lot of magical places in the city! We have also recommended some charming spots in Pontevedra. Now we are all looking forward to meeting our mates in person.

I would also love to personally thank Carlos and his awesome students for their empathy and good work. The project has been a real treat! They have made a difference!

Should you go and visit Pamplona, all of the spots here are a must! Do not miss them! Great job, guys!

#ESCUELAS AMIGAS STRIKES BACK!

Hi everyone! 

Do you remember our dearest friends from EOI Pamplona?💌 Right now they are all putting up with exactly the same confinement period we are going through. So, their teacher Carlos and I have been coming up with ideas to get you connected again to motivate you and finish off our "Discover my City" project. 

With this idea in mind, here is the final step. One last thing I would like you to do for me🙏:

1. 💡 Choose your favourite place in your area. Bear in mind that you are going to recommend our friends in Pamplona to visit the place as soon as the quarantine is over! Be original!

2. 🎤 Record yourself on vocaroo.com describing that place: location, history, why is it your favourite place... I am definitely sure you can be creative enough so as to give a fantastic depiction. Your recording must be up to 2min long.

3. 📬 Send me your recording and a picture of your place (it can be downloaded from the internet) before 3 May.

Do not miss this great opportunity to exhibit your awesome C1 English skills! Avoid tired and overused words like "beautiful" or "pretty". Use complex sentences and wide vocabulary and make a great impression on both students and teachers alike!

I am looking forward to all your recordings! 

Stay safe 🏡 and keep in touch!

COPING WITH THE QUARANTINE TIPS

C1 teachers at EOI Pontevedra have come up with a very imaginative idea to encourage students through the health crisis and try to calm them down. Our final goal was no other than making their staycation as enjoyable as possible! Listen to our informal chat and put into practise those tips that best suit you. Do not miss the links at the end to kick off new quarantine habits! Stay safe at home!

SCHOOL LOCKDOWN: C1 VOCABULARY CHALLENGE

Hurray! My students have already started working online! I am so proud of them. The school has already been closed down for a whole week now and it is high time to stick to healthy routines and everyday habits that will definitely help us cope with the confinement period. 

I am regularly sending them a few tasks to complete whenever they have time and are willing to keep up the hard work. I know that uncertainty and uneasiness are here to stay for a while so, I am just giving my little contribution to their support and well-being. Do not get over-stressed, guys!

Most of them have already completed last week's tasks and I am now posting the nice word-cloud they have come up with after their first video-listening activity.

Now here is my vocabulary challenge for you! Can you try and figure out what the words mean before clicking each of them to find out the answer? The video might help! Have fun!

ITip OF MARCH: CLIPLINGO

I am not stalling work this time! March has just started and here is my new monthly ITip: Cliplingo. This site magically turns YouTube videos into language learning! You just simply watch and learn. There is no need to worry about which clip, when and how often, as Cliplingo takes good care of this for you.  In fact, they cater to every need thanks to a huge collection of language learning videos that have been organised into levels and topics. Extremely useful!

ITip of November: LISTEN AND WRITE

Listening is one of the skills our students can get to practise outside the classroom. Language learners can hear English from various speakers and sources at different speeds thanks to the wide variety of apps and websites the Internet provides. Here is a website to find dictation exercises. You can listen to the clip and take a wide array of tests. There are many English conversations and audios for different levels and it allows you to train your English listening skills anywhere: at home, on the go, on the couch, at your desk, even on your holiday. Learn in your own comfort and at your own speed!

"LET'S DISCOVER PONTEVEDRA" WINNER

I am really proud to announce that one of my students, Ana Muñoz Vilariño, is one of the winners of the video competition that the EOI Pontevedra school has held to promote the city of Pontevedra for the ITU Multisport Championships. 

Congratulations to Ana for having taking part in the project and eventually winning it! I am certain that she is really worth it, don't you agree?

Watch the video and discover why she has been awarded a prize!

FILM FESTIVAL AT SCHOOL: 2019

The film festival at school is dedicated to emotional films this year. As for English, INSIDE OUT will be screened in its original version with subtitles. The length of the film is 94min and it will be on next...

Tuesday 9 April at 16.00 and 18.00
Friday 26 April at 9.00 and 11.00

Inside Out is an American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy-drama by Disney/Pixar.  It was released on June 19, 2015 and tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who is reluctant to move from Minnesota to San Francisco. Let´s warm up a little by watching the trailer. I hope it makes you come to school and watch it with us!!

After watching the film, I would like you to share your opinion with us. Open the comment section below and write your own ideas about the film. You could include a summary of the story, mention other films that it is similar to or describe what you particularly liked or disliked about it. 

Use the "Reacciones" section below to give us your rating about the film!!

VEo CINE

A new event organised by the students' association: LADY BIRD. Do not miss this funny coming-of-age comedy-drama next 1 April at 18.00 and support them!

See you all at the assembly hall!

ARE YOU GOING TO MISS IT?

Counting the days until our school dives into the hustle and bustle of one of the most outstanding events ever held in Pontevedra: ITU MULTISPORT 2019. What about you? Don't miss out on this unforgettable event!

BRITISH FOOD: IS IT YOUR CUP OF TEA?

It has generally been agreed that Britain does not have a good reputation for food. It does not often get the praise it deserves. Surprisingly enough, however, there is quite a bunch of tasty British culinary delights and we are determined to dispel the myth that British food is terrible.

So, come and join us for a live talk at school next 10 April at 16.30 and be prepared to give British food the recoginition it deserves!

ITip of December

Voicepods is a service that makes it super simple for anyone to create realistic text to speech in 8 voices (male, female and different accents). It even allows you to take real control of what your voice will sound like, adding pauses, spelling out how great things are or creating emphasis. 

It is as easy as taking any written work and converting it to human-like audio. Using the handy voice control features will add the final touch!

I have already started using it in my classes. But it might also be a great tool for students to read-along and practice pronunciation and story telling. 

Give it a try! You´ll love it!

FILM FESTIVAL 2018: HEALTHY FILMS

The film festival at school is exclusively dedicated to English next week. WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY will be screened in its original version with subtitles. The length of the film is 1h30m and it will be on next...

Tuesday 13 March at 20.00 
Wednesday 14 18.30
Thursday 15 18.30

Friday 16 March 10.30. 

What we did on our holiday is a British comedy-drama film inspired by the BBC show Outnumbered.Let´s warm up a little by watching the trailer. I hope it makes you come to school and watch it with us!!

After watching the film next week, I would like you to share your opinion with us. Open the comment section below and write your own ideas about the film. You could include a summary of the story, mention other films that it is similar to or describe what you particularly liked or disliked about it. 

Use the "Reacciones" section below to give us your rating about the film!!

FILMS: DUBBED OR IN ORIGINAL VERSION

Hi everybody,

my CALC students did an oral exam practice last week. The topic was "Films: Dubbed or in original version".

They did a great job at the lab recording their own voices and sending me their monologues. Here is the result. Judge by yourselves!!

Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

SONG OF THE SEA: QUESTIONS

Hi there again,

as you all know, the film festival at school (FILMS AND ART) has already come to an end. Today we saw Song of the Sea. I hope you have enjoyed it!! It is time now to think about it and go on with the video listening activity we started in class. Here are the questions you got from the video where a young girl interviews the director and producer of the film. Watch the video again and try to give an answer to the questions in the comments section below. 

1. Why is storytelling so important?

2. How did you come up with the idea for the film?

3. Did making the film teach you anything about the stories and memories that you grew up with?

4. Can you describe the animation techniques in the film and why did you use them?

5. What´s your top tip for animation?

6. In what way are the locations in the film based on real places?

7. What makes a good story?

I hope you have a great English-learning weekend! See you all in class. I´ll be looking forward to your answers!

FILM FESTIVAL AT SCHOOL: SONG OF THE SEA

The film festival at school is exclusively dedicated to English next week. SONG OF THE SEA will be screened in its original version with subtitles. The length of the film is 1h30m and it will be on next...

Monday 24 April at 20.00 

Friday 28 April at 10.30. 

Song of the Sea is an Irish film based on a traditional Celtic myth. Saoirse is a special little girl with magical powers that turn her into a seal-like creature called a Selkie. Disappearing into the sea one night, she is found by her grandmother who eventually decides she and her brother Ben would be safer living in the city. Looking forward to going back home, both children set out on an odd journey.

Let´s warm up a little by watching an interview with the film director. I hope it makes you come to school and watch it with us!!

After watching the film next week, I would like you to share your opinion with us. Open the comment section below and write your own ideas about the film. You could include a summary of the story, mention other films that it is similar to or describe what you particularly liked or disliked about it. 

Use the "Reacciones" section below to give us your rating about the film!! 

FILM FESTIVAL AT SCHOOL: FILMS WITH ART

The third annual film festival at the EOI Pontevedra will be held April 5 - 26 in the Assembly Hall. The visitors to the festival will be able to enjoy wonderful films based on art this year. So, do not hesitate to visit our school and see the films!! Sharing your opinion after the screening will be awarded!! 

You can find everything about the festival films, events and information on our shcool library´s blog. 

So, if you want to be sure you enjoy every single bit of it, then I advise you save a date for the Third Annual Film Festival at the EOI Pontevedra!!

Have a look at the events scheduled on our school facebook or the presentation below to check on times and dates of the different films. Have fun!

SAMPLE MONOLOGUE: TRADITIONAL LEARNING VS. IT LEARNING

Hi everybody,

My students are working hard preparing for exams next week. Practising their writing, listening and reading is really important for them.... but how can they practise their oral abilities? We tried in the lab and here is a good example of the resulf of their hard work. I would like you to judge by yourselves. Do you think my student did a good monologue? Can you leave your opinions and comments in the section below? I am sure we will appreciate them because we can all learn from each other to overcome everyday mistakes!

ITIP OF MARCH: RADIO GARDEN

Want to tune in to the world's radio stations? Radio Garden allows you to listen to any radio station in the world with just a single click on the map. You will be able to listen to radio programmes and shows from all over the world on your computer. You can explore live radio by rotating the globe on the site and choosing the place you are interested in with your mouse. It allows the world to be explored through its sounds and will definitely grow English learners' listening skills.

This interactive website presents a globe covered in tiny dots, each representing a radio station that can be tuned in to at the click of your mouse. It features over 8,000 radio stations and it can be used as a tool to English learning and practice!! Just click on the map and enjoy!!