Clube de Inglês

Charles Dickens' 200th Birthday

2012-02-07T16:20:00.006Z

Today's Google Doodle celebrating Charles Dickens' bicentenary

Charles Dickens, Oil on Canvas
by William Powell Frith

I wasn't supposed to write a blogpost today... I'm tired and have a busy day... many classes and other stuff in my hands. I couldn't help it, though, not after having found so much stuff on Dickens and on his remarkable influence so long after his death.

Nick Gibb, the Minister of State for Schools, stated that "Every child ought to read a Dickens novel by the age of 11" but, according to the writer's biographer, Claire Tomalin, Charles Dickens' novels are "too long for today's young" due to their short attention spans. It is no doubt a shame because what he wrote so long ago is still "amazingly relevant". Anyway, regardless of other people's opinions or your age, have a look at these free Google eBooks - free digital copies of Dickens' books that have been carefully scanned by Google and they are FREE for all of you to read online - so no excuses then!!! Check:

Celebrations are on in England and worldwide and if you would like to know what's on, check at Charles Dickens Museum and here. For us teachers and students, parents and children, do check this BBC link - it has got loads of information presented in an attractive way and includes some activities, namely a quiz as well as this fantastic British Council link - no surprise being by the BC, right?

Have a nice day :=)

Guess Activity

2012-02-05T16:16:00.001Z

After the thrill of going to the movies for "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" and solving the worksheets, students were invited to write a film synopsis but without disclosing its title. Here are some examples... can you guess the titles of films 1 / 2 / 3 and 4??

Open publication - Free publishing - More film

The Reading Mother

2012-02-03T00:56:00.005Z

One of the books I purchased and mentioned here before Christmas was Geronimo Stilton Special Edition: Christmas Catastrophe. I read out loud one chapter every night and my youngest kid just loved it - so much that two more titles are on their way!
I have always read my two boys bedtime stories but not many in English and now I ask myself why. The feedback and my kid's improvement in reading, vocabulary, pronunciation...have been so remarkable that I will certainly go on.


S. Gillilan (1869-1954)

As a reading mother, let me share a lovely poem with you:

I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea.
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth;
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days;
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness lent with his final breath.
I had a Mother who read me the things
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings-
Stories that stir with an upward touch.
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be --
I had a Mother who read to me.

Strickland Gillilan

Coffee Quiz

2012-01-29T18:06:00.003Z

Following the last activity, I decided to hand out the quiz below (obviously without the link and the key!!!) so that students could do some research in English as well as enhance their knowledge on the topic. The challenge was immediately accepted as prizes will be awarded =))

Open publication - Free publishing - More coffee

Brewing, serving and savoring coffee

2012-01-21T20:52:00.001Z

Source: Clipart, coffee beans

Last Friday (Jan 20th) one of my vocational classes had their first contact with a professional in the art of brewing and serving the best coffee: Paulo Vieira, a former adult learner of mine, kindly accepted my invite to come to our school to teach and share his large experience with our young students. He spent the whole morning there and started by showing how to do some daily preventive maintenance and service to coffee machines (always needed besides the scheduled maintenance); step by step, he provided cleaning instructions, explaining that the best coffee beans cannot make up for the impurities a dirty machine adds to our drinks. He then moved on and showed how to grind coffee properly and how to store it - yes, that's also important once whole bean or ground coffees lose their flavour quickly.

Nestle's logo

Hats off to our students as well who not only paid attention but were also willing to brew coffee and then served teachers and staff so competently. They really did their best performing their role regardless of their lack of experience and did learn to serve the beverage items properly to provide satisfaction to guests in restaurants, bars, coffee shops or, quietly simply, at their own school thus acquiring the practice they so desperately need.
Some final thank you words to sr Paulo Vieira for his time, professionalism, dedication, positive attitude towards our students and for "his" gorgeous coffee. Yes... the coffee served was brought by him and it was from SICAL, so our thanks to NESTLE as well :=)

You might like these links including coffee recipes:
http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71 -by National Coffee Association USA
http://www.coffeescience.org/
http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=776
http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=coffee+recipes&x=0&y=0
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/desserts/cakes/coffee-cakes/main.aspx

After Viewing Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2012-01-14T02:21:00.004Z

Well, what new is there to tell you? Why wasn't I surprised that the vocational group of students I took to the cinema behaved so well??? To tell you the truth, I haven't got reasons to complain: they are talkative, not really hardworking but do what they are asked to and, till now, they haven't been disrespectful, quite the contrary! Taking them to the movies was another way of motivating them to learn English in a different way as well as to bring us closer as a group and I can assure you it was worthwhile for they haven't talked about anything else besides their outing for a whole week! It was great to see their joy leaving school to go to the movies with classmates and teachers; it was great to see their joy eating hamburgers and icecreams at MacDonald's; it was great to see their joy to be able to have some time off at the mall and go shopping; It was as nice for them as it was rewarding for me as a teacher.

Not only the students met my expectations - so did the film and the main characters, the famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr) and his sidekick, Dr Watson (Jude Law).
Most of the film centers on a climax in the long rivalry between Sherlock Holmes and Professor James Moriarty - often referred to as the Napoleon of Crime - who is no less than the mastermind of a plot to push Europe into war. It's definitely high quality entertainment, a modern action picture played in costume that can only please moviegoers. In what concerns teaching / learning, there is also a lot to explore and a modest example and contribution has just been published in my ISSUU shelf above. Of course we could explore Victorian London, clothing... there's an almost endless array of ways to explore this or any film but all demanding hours of preparation: my choices reflect my attempt to avoid repetitions in my worksheets though I now have different classes.
Interesting for both teachers and students would be to check these links:
http://221bakerstreet.org/ - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's canon and many PDF versions of his stories
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/ - when Sir ACD first introduced S. Holmes to the reading public in 1887, he could never have imagined that he was creating the most famous detective in the world, much less his address 221 Baker Street which is now a museum, full of memorabilia and worth visiting (if there, don't forget to take a picture with Sherlock Holmes wearing his famous hat!!). By the way, why not try this quiz???
http://www.sherlockian.net/ - a recent site where one can find loads of information by checking the left bar
Pure and happy coincidence was BBC's publication of some articles you really should check if interested in Crime Scene Investigation:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16187225 - at the crime scene – how does it work?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16189713 - at the lab – how does it work?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11794286 - making a case / criticism to TV series
Happy reading :=)

Resources on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2012-01-07T00:36:00.003Z

Sir Arthur C. Doyle

I'm sure you've already noticed I've been publishing some of my materials in an Issuu sidebar widget which you can download after having created an account.
Some time ago, my vocational students asked me to take them to the movies. I agreed, as usual, but under one condition: to do all the exercises I would prepare for them. This might sound weird coming from me because I've always prepared handouts for all activities but remember I'm now dealing with teens, not adults!
As soon as we decided on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, I started googling and outlining some activities. Soon it became clear that my starting point should be The Final Problem - why? Because I want them to READ, right? So, I downloaded and printed several copies of the book from here and took them into class. I had 4 students who immediately wanted to read it - yeap, not bad in a vocational class of 12! I also sent them some links and now, a week before going to the movies, it's high time to get down to the real business.
I split the activities into three parts: before going, on the day/location activities, and after going and having watched the movie. However, for obvious reasons, today I only posted the "BeforeGoing" Activities based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's biography, writers and types of writing, fiction and nonfiction as well as vocab on books I believe they should be familiar with at this stage. I'm well aware I could have used vocab on publishing,editing... books but first, because they're weak students, I do not wish to demotivate them with long activities; second these are supposed to be activities for a movie.
Hope you enjoy them. Next week, there will surely be some more.
Have a nice weekend :)))

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2012-01-05T10:43:00.004Z

Theatrical poster

New Year, new film(s)!!! That's right. Today Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is released in Portugal and that's exactly the film we are going to watch next week.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 British-American action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie; it is also a sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on the character of the same name created by the British author and doctor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and several other actors appear as characters they played in the 2009 film. Holmes and Watson join forces to outwit and bring down their most cunning adversary, Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. The film is specifically influenced by Conan Doyle's work The Final Problem, but it is an independent story rather than a strict adaptation. Based on this world famous author and even more famous character, I prepared some worksheets I'll gladly share with you :)
As you can imagine, going to the movies implies some further effort from my students. Nevertheless, they are as excited as I am and willing to have some nice time together away from school.
By now, let's have a look at the trailer:

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T11:57:00.001Z


Google Doodle

This is the time for a 2011 review. It was indeed a true revolutionary year of protests worldwide and that's the reason why Time Magazine's Person of the Year was The Protester. In their own words, "In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world."
Maps of the World also has a fantastic compilation of the main events and you can even vote for the event of the year. However, as usual, Google has produced a short video reviewing 2011 (embedded below) that's really worth having a look:

By this time, you are already making all the necessary preparations for a farewell to 2011 and for the warmest welcome to 2012, just like everybody else, right? Before you go, have a look at this slideshow by REUTERS.
As far as I am concerned, thank you so much for your trust and inspiration to keep me and this blog going :)
I wish you all a HAPPY NEW BOOK - a brand new book with 365+1 white pages for you to write on the best way possible.

1 day to Christmas - Happy Christmas

2011-12-23T16:13:00.005Z

Wishing you ALL a Happy Christmas... and Happy Reading :)

Teacher Alex

2 days to Christmas

2011-12-22T09:05:00.005Z

In 1822 Clement Clark Moore wrote "T'was the Night before Christmas" and soon it became so famous that it is now a tradition in many American families to read this poem every Xmas Eve. Have a look at the book cover and the youtube video :)