Saturday, October 30, 2010

Yummy!!!!!! =)


Bread & Buns:
How To Make Pumpkin Bread

Welcome to Ghost Island

All Hallow's Eve, Halloween, is a special date in many cultures to worship life in contrast to death. It also pays tribute to those beloved people who passed away. During these days, special meals are gathering families and friends around autumn recipes. However, this festivity has become a commercial lure, the right occasion to flood any shopping mall, pub or leisure centre with black and orange garlands, all these garnished with a halo of mystery, and in the end, to attract more customers. This is the case of the Isle of Wight Tourist Office that has launched a campaign to promote a series of spooky events at historic properties, chilling night-time tours and learn more about the myths and legends that have earned it the title GHOST ISLAND. If you are interested in this way of entertainment, just click on here.
There are many stories of haunted houses and ghosts on the Isle of Wight. This incredible supernatural activity seems due in part to the powerful unseen energy that run under this small Island creating some very haunted hotspots.
The haunted sites include Ventnor Botanic Gardens, once the location of The Royal National Hospital built in 1868. In 1969, the hospital was demolished, however the operating theatre proved to be very difficult to pull down and stood up to many attempts of mechanical demolition equipment. When finally two workmen broke through using sledgehammers, they were faced with a ghostly figure standing in the doorway. Residents nearby often comment on the weeping, moaning, groaning and misty shapes floating over the site as well as phantom nurses in old-fashioned uniforms walking the gardens.
Source: Isle of Wight Council Website.

This is my Halloween present for my Secondary students. There aren't any tricks, but many treats to fulfil. Answer these questions.
1-What does Halloween celebrate?
2-Why are there so many stories about ghosts on this isle?
3-What happened during the hospital demolition?
4-Do you know any legend in your town? Find it out! Ask for information and write a brief summary.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Friday, October 8, 2010

Working with accents

As we all know, the hardest of English is its huge variety of accents. Like everywhere, they can vary depending on the speaker's pronunciation. To challenge your listening and comprehension, I've taken this fragment from the famous TV series Gilmore Girls. The action takes place in a cafe where several characters talk. Pay attention to what they say and the funny situations created around them. Try to answer these questions:
a-Can you make a list of items taken out from the woman's bag?
b-What is the relationship between them?
c-What's the boy trying to do while he's talking to the girl?
Their dialogues are sharp so, please, don't forget to post the points you'd like to be checked. By the way, I hope you like this TV series. It's one of my favourites!