Monday 23rd Wednesday 25th February

Hi ladies! How are you?? I hope you're having a really nice time these days, now that you can rest and relax and enjoy your free time.

These days we have been working with present simple vs continuous. We have finished this revision with lots of listening activities, many excercises... and probably you have become a bit tired of this topic. Don't worry. I think that after this "excessive" practice you understand perfectly.


Also we have worked with vocabulary related to jobs and transport, and some expressions too:

• go by bike: cycle
• go on foot: walk
• go by plane: fly
• go by car: drive
• go by boat:sail

So, to finish, next week we will check the activities you have for homework, ok? Remember that we have to move our Monday class to Friday 6th March. You have extra time to complete these activities. And if you have any question or doubt or something like that, do not hesitate and ask me, right?

That's all girls.

Be good, have fun, see you in class!

Bye!

Monday 16th Wednesday 18th February

Hello girls, how is it going? I hope you're ok enjoying yor free time! And having a look to the structure and usage of the present continuos; as you can see it's everywhere. I think you don't have any problemm at all with this verbal tense, but once you said it was better to revise from time to time before we add more and new things, for this reason we're doing.

On Monday we introduced voc related to work and jobs as:

• web designer
• teacher
• dentist
• musician
• tour guide
• salesperson
• architect
• actor

And then more things as :

• company
• contract
• report
• message
• meeting
• conference

and so on. We will continue with this topic deeper next week since these days we have worked a lot with the present continuous tense. We have practiced listening and speaking activities, very well done by the way, and I think you have a very clear idea abut this.

On Wed we focused on the writing activity you have for homework. We said we were going to practice different types of writing during this term, and so we are. We have written short compositions, biographies... this week we're writing an informal e-mail taking advantage of the topic. We will write about how things are going in our life; remember this is the second use of the present continuous that you have in your notes. You will write around 100 words, ok? I'm sure you'll do your best!

And I think that's all. As always, thanks for your attention and your will to learn.

Be good, have fun, see you in class,

Monday 9th Wednesday 11th February

Hi ladies! How are you? Waiting for this special Saturday with so many things to celebrate?. I hope you have lots of fun no matter what you decide to do.

These days have been more "thematic" than others because of these two celebrations. On Monday you showed your presentations about Carnival or Mardi Gras in different places in the world; I want you to know that you did a very good job. All of you did your best and that makes me very happy, also because after your presentations you were speaking for a long time about all the info you had.

On Wednesday we had a very good time, really funny, when presenting the topic about Valentine's. We had lots of fun when speaking about the origin and the business and so on and so forth. Well, we had a very good time.

We learned lots of voc related to these two topics this week, but the most important thing has been your speaking. And also that we changed the routine, don't you think?

So, for next day I'd like you to translate the text we worked with and no more. You deserve to enjoy.

Be good, have fun, see you in class!

Bye

Monday 2nd Wednesday 4th February

Hello ladies, how's it going? I'm sure you're fine enjoying some free time, maybe looking for interesting things about carnival in the places you chose last class; I'm looking forward to hearing your presentations, I'm sure you'll do your best. Have you had a look to Maria Jesus' post? It's great!

Ok, that was your homework this weekend. These days we have been working with expressions to show time when using the past such as SINCE, AGO, FOR, and LAST... We completed activities of both listening and speaking and you also had to finish some exercises to revise WAS/WERE and the past simple of both regular and irregular verbs.

Finishing the week we were speaking a lot about what's in the news... very well done your listening this time!

And we introduced the topic of CARNIVAL or Mardi Gras with an overview related to its origin and the most representative and traditional festivities. For this reason we will present this topic next class; I really hope you enjoy!

We will know about this celebration in different parts of the world.

That's all girls

Be good, have fun, see you in class!

Carnival in New Orleans.

The Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, literal translation of the French because former it was fattened to a calf and a banquet was celebrated, is the name that receives the carnival parade that celebrates in New Orleans the day before the Ash Wednesday.

The season of the Carnival in New Orleans, inspired by the catholic tradition, begins on January 6, the night of Epiphany. From this day already they start seeing for the streets coaches, masked balls and the famous ones " king cake ", royal tarts, which are not but, a variant mas colouring of our  famous “roscón”. These sponge cakes with form of coil are decorated by the traditional colors of the Mardi Gras, the green one that symbolizes the Faith, the purple one that symbolizes The Justice and the yellow one that symbolizes The Power.

The Mardi Gras is the culmination of all these feasts, is the parade of coaches and confraternities that takes place last day, and marks the final moment to be able to enjoy the pleasures, both culinary and carnal, before the epoch of abstinence that he carries the beginning of the Holy Week and the Lent.

The French colonists introduced the celebration of the Mardi Gras in Louisiana, as far back as the year 1699. Since then in numerous occasions the authorities have tried to prohibit the celebration but with scanty success. Two weeks before the Shrove Tuesday, realize daily parades, of great color and very elaborated The associations, rocks or confraternities named "Krewes", are those who take charge organizing the parades and dances of the Mardi Gras, including the construction of coaches, the confection of uniforms and the purchase of the trinkets, which throw themselves to the crowd during the parades. It is a tradition from the sixties that many women uncover his chests to receive of the multitude account necklaces of colors with which to cover them.

 The Mardi Gras, finishes formally when there meet the kings of Rex and his "subjects", the king and the queen of the carnival and the king and the queen of Mistick Krewe's rock of Comus,  a dance in the municipal audience of the city. In the middle of the night a policemen's squadron, mounted his horses, starts clearing the street Bourbon ….