A Cool Dictionary: Vocabulary.com

Dictionaries, ,

I just love this dictionary! Really ! I love it!  ♥ It’s one of those sites that is worth bookmarking. Have I mentioned it’s called Vocabulary.com?


You might be asking yourselves why all this enthusiasm over a simple dictionary but it’s just that when you see something that is really helpful not only to me, as a teacher, but also to students, you get all cheered up.

Why do I like it?
♥First it has The Challenge Section where you are posed questions about vocabulary and you are given points every time you answer correctly. Better to try it than to explain it! You can also compete against other people if you sign up.


♥Secondly, it has The Dictionary itself. If you sign up whenever you look up a word, you can add it to your learning queue. Each vocabulary word includes a short blurb that is easy to understand and fun to read. The dictionary also provides usage examples from real life, so you can see how words are used in context .

♥Third, The Vocabulary List . You can create your own list of words you need to revise and then do different activities to help you remember them. One of them includes audio.

Now, aren’t you dying to give it a go? Yes? Off you go!

Like Blog de Cristina? We are also on Facebook. Click here to follow

 

A Glogster Project : My Favourite Sport!

Create your own stuff, In the Computer Room, Students' Corner, Writing, , , ,

Every year I find a reason to use Glogster in the classroom (click here to see my first article about Glogster) I think most of my students, though camera-shy, like to see their work published. I find that Glogster is the ideal tool to use with twelve or thirteen- year- old students because it ‘s very visual and students have a lot of fun deciding which frame to use for their photograph or text , which video they want to embed ( In English, of course) . Yes, they have fun but what they probably don’t realize is that they are using English from Step 1 of the project.
In fact, after finishing our Glogster, I wrote on the board  several of the words they had been using  (frame, text, wall, image, tools, gallery, upload, cartoon…etc) and they were happy when they recognised it.

Have you never tried Glogster? Give it a go! It’s a lot of fun!

Click here to see it better!

A Ballad: Habits by Maria Mena

General

It’s been a long long time since I haven’t posted a song,  just because. But I’m on holidays and I’m still publishing twice or three times a week. so I think a deserve a treat or two! ha, ha ,ha!

Maria Mena  has, long ago, won my heart .She released her first album when she was fifteen and  writes all the tracks on her albums which are known for their raw emotion and honesty. This song Habits is from her new album Viktoria released in September 2011.

How to use Capital Letters

A word on Grammar

Capital letters are important and therefore one should  say it is essential to know how to use them in the correct way.

Capital letters are the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse. (sorry for being rude, but isn’t it a good example?;-)

Want to know more about Capital letters? Watch this fast paced  video about when and how to use then and remember that the overuse of  capital letters ,when writing ,is considered by most people rude.

An American in Asturias: Easter in the USA

American Cultural aspects

Wouldn’t it be interesting to read a bit about how Easter is celebrated in the USA? Elisabeth Knittel , our language assistant , has written this interesting article about Easter in the USA. Thank you Liz!

In the United States Easter is celebrated in the spring months of March or April. It is a time of church services, family gatherings, eggs, bunnies and lots of fun. Families make the most of the opportunity to spend time together and perhaps spend time outdoors to welcome spring. Easter is a celebration of religious significance with many Americans attending church on Easter Sunday; others only celebrate with the non religious traditions.

Chocolate bunnies and eggs of all sizes in colorful foil wrappings are a favorite part of Easter in the US. Early on Easter Sunday morning, while the children are sleeping the Easter Bunny delivers Easter baskets. Each child receives an Easter basket filled with chocolate treats usually in the form of bunnies, chicks, and eggs. Sometimes children receive small toys, books, or stuffed animals in their Easter baskets. Sometimes the basket is hidden and children need to look for them. Other families have Easter egg hunts where hardboiled eggs, chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with chocolates are hidden in the house or garden for excited children to run around and find.

The Easter Bunny is a huge part of Easter in the United States. The Easter Bunny is usually shown as a big, white, rabbit wearing clothes. During Easter time, there are tons of decorations with the Easter Bunny, sometimes breakfasts where children can meet the Easter Bunny and often times you can go to the mall and have your picture taken with him. Another popular tradition is decorating Easter Eggs. Many families boil eggs and use dye to make them beautiful colors. Sometimes people even put designs on them with crayons, stickers, or different colors of dye.

Hot cross buns are also another Easter treat popular with Americans. They are sweet, spiced buns made with dried fruit. A cross, (the symbol of Christ) usually made from a mixture of flour and water is put on top of the buns. The buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday and taste best hot with plenty of butter.

Easter is also a time of various events with the most well known held on the White House lawn in Washington DC. The President and his family host the Easter Egg Roll on Easter Monday (the day after Easter.) This is a game where kids have to race use a spoon to move an egg from one point to another. Many celebrities are invited to the event. Many singers give concerts and actors as well as the President himself read stories to the kids.