last blog post level III

Dear all,
This is our last post.
Today I'd like you to write about your blogging experience. Unfortunately, this has been a different experience since we did not manage to do all the post on the programme. However, it would be interesting to know how you feel about writing in English.
How seriously did you take this?
How did you like writing on the blog?
Do you think it contributed to your writing in English
Did you enjoy reading your classmates' blogs?
Did you like reading/writing comments?
Are there negative aspects to it?
Include anything else you find relevant.

write a minimum of 195 words and write 3 comments+ a comment on your teacher's post.

Regards,
Beatriz

Personally, the first time I wrote on a blog I found it quite difficult. I was in a different country and I was going to write about why I felt eating animals was not right. It was difficult for me to think of how I would get the message across. How to find the right words without offending people and at the same time, challenging the classic views that you need meat, that it is good for you and the hidden fact that the meat industry pollutes the planet enormously.  So I started with the question,
would you ever eat your cat or dog? How are these animals different from others?

From then on I got inspired, my English was not that good so I had to think about it but I really enjoyed it. I liked the idea of sharing my thoughts and being read. I think the blog gives us the opportunity to think carefully, to ask if we need help and to read each other's ideas. I really like this part of it. Get to know what you think of things and how you view the world. I personally think that writing in any language is a good thing. You always learn something.
One thing I think about a lot is maybe the fact that I would like to write with other people on the same document. What do you guys think about the blog?

Online practice for the final written test

Session 1 

Reading:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/reading1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading2.htm

Listening:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part1.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part2.htm

Vocabulary:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_vocab.htm


Session 2 

Reading:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading3.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading4.html
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_reading_part5.htm

Listening:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part3.htm
http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part3.htm





-blog post July 10

Javier            5,8
Fanny            5,7
Scarleth         5,7
Oscar             5,1
Giovanni        6,8
Sebastian       6
Javiera C        5,8
Javiera  S
Myrlan             5,1 

webquest 23/07

https://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition

https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-multiple-disasters-at-once-study-warns/

Useful vocabulary for final oral test

Hello bloggers,
Here is some help to practice for the oral interaction test that will be held in the near future. Remember you need a partner for this activity (In pairs)It is a good idea to decide on who you will work now.

You will speak about a surprise topic  for a minimum of 5 mins. 
Giving your opinion

"I think…."


"I feel that…."


"In my opinion…."


"As far as I'm concerned…."


"As I see it…."


"In my view…"

Giving a strong opinion

"I'm absolutely convinced that…."


"I'm sure that….."


"I strongly believe that…."


"I have no doubt that…"


ASKING for SOMEONE'S OPINION

"What do you think (about /of X)?"


"What's your view (on)?"


"How do you see the situation (of)?"

Agreeing and disagreeing
Agreeing

"I think you're right."
"I agree with you."


Strong agreement
"I couldn't agree with you more."
"You're absolutely right."
"I agree entirely."
"I totally agree."


Agreeing in part

"I agree with you up to a point, but..."
"That's quite true, but..."
"I agree with you in principle, but..."


Disagreeing

"I'm not sure I agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't agree."
"(I'm afraid) I disagree."
"(I'm afraid) I can't agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't share your opinion."

Note that when you disagree with someone, you can often sound
more polite by using a phrase such as "I'm afraid..."

Disagreeing strongly

"I don't agree at all."
"I totally disagree."
"I couldn't agree with you less."

Keeping a conversation going
Making comments

"No!" - to show surprise
"I don't believe it!" - to show surprise
"Wow!" - to show admiration or surprise
"That's incredible / amazing / unbelievable" - to show great
interest in the subject of conversation
"How awful / terrible" - to show sympathy with someone else's bad
news

Asking questions

"Really?" - to show surprise
"And you?" - when someone asks you how you are
"Did you?" - can be used to encourage someone to tell their story.

For example, "I saw her last night" "Did you?" "Yes, she was with one of her friends, and she....

Free

Having a free topic makes me think of many different options. But the idea is to choose one.

Today I will write about a nice walk I have done. Obviously, you can choose any topic you want.

Last Saturday my brother in law, my husband and I decided to go to parquet nacional “Aguas de Ramón”. This is a national park in the outskirts of Santiago. I had never been there before. All I know is that we went to la Reina and drove to the very end of the road. There was this place. 

We started our walk at around 8:15 am and after 10 minutes I started to enjoy myself. It was a really cold morning but since we were going up, I got warm rather quickly. Some parts were really slanted and others were flat. Some paths were narrow and there was a big drop. This frightened me at times.

I have to admit that it really shocked me to see the pollution in Santiago. So, I breathed as much as I could. It looked terribly toxic down here. Some parts looked so beautiful and quiet. I loved that silence or the sound of the water when we crossed the little river.

 After 45 minutes I realized that, even though I do exercise regularly, I was not up to the challenge. My plan was to do 8 km to the waterfall in the area of  las Condes and 8 back. However, after 4 km I decided to walk back and do only 8 km to start. I think I could do more but I felt the return would have been really hard for me. It was a beautiful experience and I intend to prepare to do 16 k the next time.

 I truly loved the idea of going 45 minutes in a car and be in a completely different place. I love nature so this was great for me. I felt my weekend started really well.

This last picture is the waterfall I did not get to see this time.

Write about a topic that you feel like developing today. 

Include a little intro and organize your text to give it a good closure.

Write a minimum of 210 words and 4 comments :)

Santiago is not Chile, but too much is going on only in Santiago.

In the past we wrote about a different city or town we liked. Today we're going to talk about Santiago. Each and every one of us views the city form a different perspective that depends on many things. For example, I  was born in the ninth region but have spent most of my life here. However,  I had the chance to live in the north of England for some time. I also spent some time in Germany when I studied languages, and have visited some places in Europe.  I have also visited some cities in Latin America and elsewhere. All different places shaped by history, architecture, commerce and people. Regardless of these things, your personal situation and frame of mind can also affect the way you view a city.

 I must say having seen places which seem a lot dirtier and also a lot cleaner, I like Santiago city.  I certainly think a number of things could be done to make it a more livable place for everyone. Especially in particular areas, the whole city  needs more green areas and community centers .  I think Santiago urgently needs a better transport system since the one we have is not enough, and people are suffering to commute to work. We would see a lot more smiles if peple travelled comfortably. 
 I also think we need public toilets in the city. This is a reality in many developed places. How can it be that you need to buy something or eat in a place to be able to go to the toilet? And then people complain that some street smell of pee.
Personally,  I think the center of  Santiago is a nice place because it offers a combination of forms and colours. I dislike the hostile attitude of a number of people but I hope that this will change little by little.

I would always recommend places like "la vega " , "mercado central"or  Parque Almagro, among others, to a foreign person.
  Since in this moment of our lives we spend most our time here, lets express opinions.

Write about your vision of Santiago.

Include the following:

What you like about the Santiago and why,

What you dislike about the city and why,

What changes would make the city a better place,

What tips you would give to a visitor to the city

Write at least 210 words. Leave a message on at least 4 class blogs (These could include mine :). 

education

Today I thought somehow we could refer to a topic that at the moment has a lot of children and teachers without classes. This is the teachers' and schools' strikes. 

There are a number of reforms implemented that are making people very unhappy. On the other hand, people who work in the area of education have low salaries and work long hours. A lot of things need changing so we have happy students and adults. Public policies change with the administration in power and unfortunately, our education minister at the moment does not seem open to dialogue.

For me, the basic rights that need to be covered are health, housing and education. When there is good education in a country, there is a chance for progress. Progress does not only mean macroeconomic growth, it also means we have mentally and physically healthy people who can do their jobs. This is why, for me, this is a fair fight the teachers are giving. A lot of things have changed since I was at school. These changes are related to politics and in the end everything is political.  Our culture has changed enormously and now people value things that were not valued before, and, as a result, teachers have not been valued and paid accordingly for a long time. 
I think a major problem we have is the presence parents have in their children's education nowadays. A lot of children have no guidance or the company and dialogue they need growing up. This has a direct impact on the values and, more importantly, the confidence you have as an adult. This situation has led parents to believe the teacher and school need to educate their children and not themselves.
Within policies,  I see is the "ley aula segura" or "safe classroom" as a problem. How can we treat students like delinquents? How can the current government intends to reduce the hours of history and physical education when our obesity rates are really high. Do they really want dumb and sick people? It does not make sense.
Due to the word limit, I will stop here although there is a lot to say about this.

What do you think?

How do you feel about education?

What do you think about education in Chile?

What needs changing?

What do you think about the strike?

Write a minimum of 200 words and 4 comments.

Free

Dear all,
I hope you are well.
Today you will have the chance to write about any topic or person you like. Please remember to organize your text in a way that is easy to read. You can use some bullet points mentioning what areas you'll include if it is more than one.


Write a minimum of 180 words and write 3 comments on different blogs. Keep up the good work!!

  I have to confess I am happy with a given topic or a free one. Maybe I find it even easier if it is open because I just need to think of basically anything, give it a bit of thought to organize it, and start.

 I will start with why I think good health and Ayurveda go hand in hand. Even though I recognize the importance of scientific research and western medicine, I have mixed-feelings about the role pharmaceutical companies play in research results and health policies.

I am going to address a small part of this millenary medicine from India. Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit words Ayus “life” and veda “knowledge” or “science”. What I like best of it is that it is mainly preventive. One of the many aspects I appreciate from this approach is the fact that it recognizes each human being as unique from a preventive and curative perspective. Therefore, it acknowledges that each person needs a different diet, routine, lifestyle and treatment in case of illness. There is a lot more to it but the word limit does not allow me to refer to it. I really like the importance it puts on the power of our thoughts, the food we eat and the role meditation plays in having and preserving good health.

Write a minimum of 180 words.
Include
The topic/person you've chosen
 Give a general definition/explanation of it.
Include anything else you find relevant.

London Webquest

Presentation

Dear  all,

I hope you are well. Today we will write a useful text I hope. I will narrate this text in the future although my presentation was given in the past.

In your presentation you can talk about a person or a theme related to your area of studies.  Remember this is not a reading task. You need to prepare it and have command of your text. If you stand in front to read, you will have a mark below 4 L

In my presentation I will talk about the linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian and political activist Abel Noam Chomsky.  

 I will divide my presentation into 3 parts

First, I will talk about his early life. Then I will refer to the area of linguistics and political involvement and lastly I will tell you why I chose to talk about him.

He was born on December 7 in 1928. Both his parents were Jewish and worked in the area of education.  He studied linguistics in the university of Philadelphia and his tutor was Harris Zellig, the founder of the American School of linguistics. Noam was not happy with the university but his tutor persuaded him to stay. 

I will continue here

Write about your presentation next week.
Include
What or who you will talk about
How you will organize it
Why
Include anything else you find relevant

Write a minimum of 200 words and 3 comments

Post June 5

I started watching it as a child from about 8 years old. I remember both my sisters loved it so I just sat with them and it was all good. It is about this blond girl with very big (not surprising now!) green eyes. I remember it was a very dramatic Japanese Anime. “Candy” was an orphan girl who was adopted and treated badly. Moreover she falls in love with this amazingly handsome character “Anthony” (I fell in love, too!) and he dies!! Yes, he dies!! I suffered so much.  Later she moves to London and meets “Terri” who is the opposite of Anthony (the latter is rebellious). The thing is this love is not meant to be and they keep splitting because he wants to become an actor.

I think it was on every evening for around half an hour.

I suppose I enjoyed it because it was full of adventures and things seemed pretty exciting, but mostly because I would sit there with my sisters and we would drink our milk and eat toast on those evenings while watching the show. I couldn’t wait for the next day to come. Just to watch it again! I know it is very "ñoño" to write about this but I couldn't think of anything apart from "erase una vez el hombre" which seemed a bit serious for children...

What about you?

Write about a TV programme you enjoyed watching when you were a child:
Say:
What it was called,
What it was about,
When it was on,
Why you enjoyed it.
Mention anything else you think is important. Write at least 220 words. Leave a comment on 4 of  your classmates' blogs.

Blog marking 20%

ABOUT THE MARKING FOR THE BLOG ACTIVITIES.

WHEN YOU COME TO CLASS AND DO THE POST AND COMMENTS IN CLASS, YOU GET 2 POINTS.

WHEN YOU DON’T COME TO CLASS AND DO THE POST AND COMMENTS WITHIN 48 HOURS, YOU GET 1 POINT.

NO POST, NO POINTS.

THE FINAL MARK FOR THE BLOG CONSISTS OF TWO MARKS.

1 MARK FOR “COMING TO CLASS AND DO THE BLOG POST AND COMMENTS IN CLASS”

1 MARK FOR 3 PARTICULAR BLOG POSTS. THESE WILL BE SELECTED AND MARKED CONSIDERING LINGUISTIC ASPECTS.

mark 1 + mark 2 = final blog mark

Why you are here

Dear all:

Today I’d like to tell you a bit about myself. When I finished school I decided I did not know what to do. So I took a year off and worked to save money. Later I entered translation because I liked languages. I did English and German but right in the middle of it, there was a chance to travel to Germany and work there. So I did. When I got back to Chile I fell into teaching by chance. Later I got my English teaching degree.

I think teachers are a great contribution to society but only if they have a vocation. If not, they may be great researchers or academics, but not teachers. I feel a teacher needs to be alert and attentive to what is happening in the classroom in the whole sense of the word. They also need a lot of patience & knowledge in their area of study. A teacher needs constant training because the world changes, students change, and so does methodology.

I think one of my favourite subjects at Uni was phonetics. I loved the idea of studying & recognizing the English sounds and also to contrast them with the Spanish sounds. I also enjoyed pragmatics. The future of teachers looks more relevant all the time. I think we need to keep up with technology among other things because we will need to be more and more updated to connect with students. 

One professional I admire in my area of study is Rod Ellis. He is very well known in the area of second language acquisition. He has published a lot of books & I love the way he writes. He has got a very clear way to express his ideas and they make a lot of sense to me.

Now, write about yourself. Say:

-Why are you studying this career?

- How do professionals in your area contribute to society?

- What tools will a professional in your area need to have in the future?

- What is your favourite subject?

- Include this and more in your answer.

- 180 words minimum. One comment in this blog and one comment on a different blog 

A city or town

Dear all,

Nice to read you all again.

Today I thought we could write about something slightly different before we get back on the hard routine.

I have been very lucky and chosen to prioritise travelling over a lot of material things that people have to or choose to opt for. For this reason, I have visited  a number of places. Today, I would like to talk about a place about 5 hours from Santiago city. And this is Elqui valley.  I have had the chance to visit this place 3 times. One time with a friend and her boyfriend around 10 years ago,  one time with my mum, my husband and his sister in 2016 and the last time in 2018 with a couple of lovely relatives and my husband.

For this text I will refer to the very last time, I really enjoy every time I go there because I take the opportunity to eat a lot of papayas, drink nice pisco and watch the stars. In some countries like New Zealand or Japan, you can see amazing stars from any small city, in Chile, however, you need to travel south or north to do this. I personally enjoyed doing a star watching tour that was an hour and a half away from Vicuña.  All the people knew a lot about the stars, it was a very beautiful experience and I would love to do it again. I also tried different varieties of pisco, which was nice.

I love the mountain and the sky as you go down  Elqui Valley, I think it is quite unique and It is a wonderful place I strongly recommend.

Write about a place you have visited and enjoyed

Say:
When you went there
Who you went with
What you did there
Why you like this place

Write a minimum of 180 words and 3 comments on any of the blogs in this class.

Irregular Verbs in present and past

First task

Hello everyone,

Today’s task is to create your blog using blogger.com

If you have a gmail account, you can do it straight from there. If not, go to blogger.com and create it. Make sure you write things down so you don’t forget.

Once you have an URL for your blog, write it clearly on the whiteboard.

Go to Configuración “setting “ and change the language to English.

The next step is to link everyone in the classroom.

Go to design,
 then add a gadget
  click on Link list. 
Now you can start adding everyone.

Once this is finished, continue with today’s task 

 A little intro:)

My name is Beatriz and I define myself as a fairly relaxed person most of the time. I value the simple things in life. I think one individual can do a lot of things on a daily basis to help others. I am interested in social issues and also in politics. I wish there were more hours in the day to do more stuff.

I love animals (I don't eat them :), arts, swimming and pilates, academia to a certain extent, and above all, I love travelling to new places and that is one thing I have done.

I practice meditation but not as often as I’d like to. One of the trips I want to make one day is India. However, all the poverty scares me a bit.
Put a comment on this blog and one of your classmates' blogs

Write a comment on this blog and one more comment.