Gandhi

Mohandas Gandhi is one of the most famous leaders for justice in the world. His firm belief in non-violence has been followed by many other important civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Mohandas Gandhi is often called Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma is a term that means Great Soul.

Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. He came from an upper class family and his father was a leader in the community. As was tradition where he grew up Mohandas' parents arranged a marriage for him at the age of 13.

His parents wanted him to become a lawyer. As a result, when he was 19 years old he went to London to attend the University. Three years later he returned to India and after moved to South Africa to work. It was in South Africa where Gandhi would experience racial prejudice against Indians and would begin his work in civil rights.

Once back in India, Gandhi led the fight for Indian independence from the British Empire. He organized non-violent civil disobedience campaigns. Gandhi was put in prison several times for organizing these protests.

Gandhi was murdered on January 30, 1948. He was shot by a terrorist at a public prayer meeting in New Delhi, India .

The Fonix 2.014: Contestants

The contestants for the Fonix of this year are...

• 1r. ESO: Rahana Aktaher
• 2n. ESO: Hizer Khurshid
• 3r. ESO: Hassan Zafar
• 4t. ESO: Khair-Un-Nisa Iftikhar

See you next Saturday, March, 1 at 12:00 midday.

Good luck!

The Fonix 2.014: Task Types (Regional Stage)

REGIONAL STAGE TASK TYPES:

Each year the competition uses a theme to base all the tasks around. 

1st CYCLE OF SECONDARY / 1º Y 2º DE ESO)

• Vocabulary: Verbs and nouns related to a theme.
• Reading: Text about the given theme with questions about it.
• Language: Present Simple / Past Simple + verbs related to theme.
• Tasks: gap filler, answering questions, matching, true / false questions and putting words in order to make sentences. Giving simple advice.
• Writing: Writing about 120 words about the given theme.
• Time Limit: 55 minutes

2nd CYCLE OF SECONDARY (3º Y 4º DE ESO)

• Vocabulary: General verb tense review, words related to a theme.
• Reading: Text about the given theme with questions about it.
• Language: Present simple / Past Simple / Present Perfect and Past Perfect.
• Tasks: Matching definitions, gap filler, completing sentences with correct tense, giving advice.
• Writing: Giving opinion about a theme. Writing about 130 words.
• Time Limit: 55 minutes

School Day of Non-violence and Peace (DENIP)

DENIP works to promote a Culture and an independent, free and voluntary Education for Non-violence and Peace. It was founded by Llorenç Vidal. It is celebrated January, the 30th.

• The "School Day of Non-violence and Peace" (DENIP), founded in 1964 and also known as World or International Day of Non-violence and Peace, is a pioneering, non-state, non-governmental, non-official, independent, free and voluntary initiative of Non-violent and Pacifying Education, which is now practised in schools all over the world and in which centres of education, teachers and students of all levels and from all countries are invited to take part.

• It advocates a permanent education in and for harmony, tolerance, solidarity, respect for human rights, non-violence and peace.

• It is observed on January 30 or thereabouts every year, on the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi. In countries with a Southern Hemisphere school calendar, it can be observed on March 30 or thereabouts.

• Its basic message is: "Universal Love, Non-violence and Peace. Universal Love is better than egoism, Non-violence is better than violence, and Peace is better than war".

• Friends of DENIP are those persons who, by accepting the spiritual, individual and social supremacy of universal love, non-violence, tolerance, solidarity, respect for human rights and peace above their opposites, advocate the diffusion of the principles which inspired this celebration.

Information taken from Teaching English to Primary Children 

Imagine

Imagine there's no Heaven 

It's easy if you try 

No hell below us 

Above us only sky 

Imagine all the people 

Living for today 

Imagine there's no countries 

It isn't hard to do 

Nothing to kill or die for 

And no religion too 

Imagine all the people 

Living life in peace 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 

But I'm not the only one 

I hope someday you'll join us 

And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions 

I wonder if you can 

No need for greed or hunger 

A brotherhood of man 

Imagine all the people 

Sharing all the world 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 

But I'm not the only one 

I hope someday you'll join us 

And the world will live as one

Meaning of the song

John Lennon's song was written during the height of the war in Vietnam, the first Nixon administration and the peace movement. Much of the popular culture of that time was centered on those factors. Despite of this, Imagine remains in effect up to now and has become an anthem not only of universal hope but of peace, too.

This song is John's idea of a perfect world. It reflects, then, John Lennon's beliefs: a communist world could be the solution to all the world's problems. In Imagine, Lennon urges men and women to create a world fit to live in, a world without countries, private possessions or religions.

The author is sure that he isn’t alone in this: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I'm not the only one”. All around the world there are people who have this way of thinking and if everybody “joins” him, the world would be better.

Transition Words and Phrases

Transition words and phrases help establish clear connections between ideas and ensure that sentences and paragraphs flow together smoothly, making them easier to read. Use the following words and phrases in the following circumstances.

To indicate more information: Besides Furthermore In addition Indeed In fact Second...Third..., etc.	To indicate an example: For example For instance In particular Particularly Specifically
To indicate a cause or reason: As Because Because of  For  For the reason that Since	To indicate a result or an effect: Finally Consequently So  Therefore
To indicate a purpose or reason why: In order to So So that With this in mind	To compare or contrast: Although  However  In comparison In contrast Nevertheless On the other hand Yet
To indicate a particular period of time:  After  Before During Eventually Finally First, . . . Second, . . ., etc. Immediately Later Next Previously Soon
To summarize: Briefly In brief Summing up To sum up To summarize	To conclude: Given these facts In conclusion So Therefore To conclude

ICT Vocabulary

The digital competence involves the confident and critical use of information society technology (IST) and thus basic skills in information and communication technology (ICT). Here you have a list of useful elements to acquire this key competence.

Prepositions: in / on / at

Uses of these common prepositions:

Describing Pictures

To describe a picture or an image in English, you should follow these steps:

Introduction

· The photo / picture shows...

· It was taken by / in...

· It's a black-and-white / coloured photo.

What and where

· In the foreground/background there are... / there is... / you can see...

· On the left/right there are... / there is... / you can see...

· At the top/At the bottom there are... / there is... / you can see...

· In the middle/centre there are... / there is... / you can see...

· Behind/In front of ... there are... / there is... / you can see...

Who and what

To describe the persons or animals in the picture and explain what is happening, you have to use the Present Continuous: He is walking / They are sleeping / ...

Personal opinion

· It seems as if...

· The woman / boy / cat / child seems to...

· I think... / believe... /guess...

· I (don't) like the picture because...

For well skilled students, or those who want to improve their description skills, here you have a presentation with some exercises that could help you: 

Describing a Picture in English

Prepositions AT / IN / ON (Places)

Prepositions are such small words with nearly the same meaning that it seems that you can use any of them. But that is not true. If you want to sound well, you have to be careful with the prepositions. And believe me, it is not so difficult to use the prepositions AT, IN, ON for time expressions correctly. There are many clear rules and only a few exceptions.

This time the explanation is for prepositions talking about the places.

Games to practice these prepositions:

• Teacher Invaders
• Penalty
• Cloze Test and Angry Finches

The Lestobada English App for Mobile

Lestobada English Blog has already become a mobile application. To download it, just click on this button:

The Fonix 2.014: Level Test Dates (Local Stage)

The Local Stage (level tests) to choose the candidates for each class will be held next week. The timetable for the tests is as it follows:

• 1^st ESO: Group A: Wednesday, 22nd of January, 10.30 am
• 1^st ESO: Group B: Thursday, 23rd of January, 10.30 am
• 2^nd ESO: Monday, 20th of January, 8.30 am
• 3^rd ESO: Monday, 20th of January, 12.40 pm
• 4^th ESO: Tuesday, 21st of January, 10.30 am

Thomas Miller

Thomas Miller (31 August 1807 – 24 October 1874), poet and novelist, was born in Gainsborough, the son of George Miller, an unsuccessful wharfinger and ship-owner who deserted his wife and two sons in 1810. Thomas grew up in Sailors Alley, and one of his childhood friends was the future journalist Thomas Cooper. Miller found work as a ploughboy, then as a shoemaker’s apprentice, but was released from his indentures when he threw ‘an iron instrument’ at his vicious and tyrannical master. He was apprenticed as a basket-maker to his stepfather and, when he had done his time, he moved to Nottingham in 1831 to set up his own basket-making business. Here he published his first writings Songs of the Sea Nymphs (1832). Going to London he was befriended by Lady Blessington and Samuel Rogers, and for a time engaged in business as a bookseller, but was unsuccessful and devoted himself exclusively to literature, producing over 40 volumes, including several novels, e.g., Royston Gower (1838), Gideon Giles the Roper, and Rural Sketches. In his stories he successfully delineated rural characters and scenes.

Although he had some success with patronage, he was often in financial need, and appealed directly to Charles Dickens for assistance in 1851. Dickens declined and wrote to his friend Bulwer Lytton of Miller; 'I fear he has mistaken his vocation'.

Miller died at his home at New Street, Kennington, on 24 October.

One of the most representative poems by Miller is 'Evening':

The day is past, the sun is set,

And the white stars are in the sky;

While the long grass with dew is wet,

And through the air the bats now fly.

The lambs have now lain down to sleep,

The birds have long since sought their nests;

The air is still; and dark, and deep

On the hill side the old wood rests.

Yet of the dark I have no fear,

But feel as safe as when 'tis light;

For I know God is with me there,

And He will guard me through the night.

For God is by me when I pray,

And when I close mine eyes to sleep,

I know that He will with me stay,

And will all night watch by me keep.

For He who rules the stars and sea,

Who makes the grass and trees to grow.

Will look on a poor child like me,

When on my knees I to Him bow.

He holds all things in His right hand,

The rich, the poor, the great, the small;

When we sleep, or sit, or stand,

He is with us, for He loves us all.

Robin Hood's dialogues by 1rst ESO

Let's hear the students of both groups A and B performing some short dialogues of the story of Robin Hood.

Dialogue 1

• Lady Marian’s father: The sheriff wants to marry you Marian.
• Lady Marian: I don’t love the sheriff; I love the Earl of Huntingdon.
• Lady Marian’s father: The sheriff is a rich man.
• Lady Marian:  I hate the sheriff.
• Lady Marian father: The sheriff is Prince John’s friend.
• Lady Marian: I can’t marry him.

Dialogue 2

• Nottingham Sheriff: Robin Hood is dangerous.
• Prince John: He’s an outlaw. We have to stop him.
• Nottingham Sheriff: But the people help him.
• Prince John: Why do the people help him?
• Nottingham Sheriff: Robin gives money to poor people.
• Prince John: That’s absurd! We have to stop this outlaw.
• Nottingham Sheriff: We need a trap to catch Robin Hood.
• Prince John: Yes, we need a trap. Put Lady Marian in prison.

Dialogue 3

• Friar Tuck: Are you Robin Hood?
• Robin Hood: Yes, I’m Robin Hood. What’s your name?
• Friar Tuck: I’m friar Tuck. I’ve got a message from Lady Marian.
• Robin Hood: What’s the message?
• Friar Tuck: Lady Marian is in prison. Don’t try to rescue her. It’s a trap.
• Robin Hood: I’ve got a plan. Can you bring some boy clothes to the prison?
• Friar Tuck: I can try.

Signs of Punctuation

Robin Hood

Robin Hood is England's most famous outlaw, who robbed from the rich to give to the poor.

Robin Hood was a Saxon noble, living near the castle of Nottingham. By various means he was forced into a life of banditry, using his cunning and skill-at-arms to relieve bishops, nobles, and servants of the king of gold and jewels levied from the oppressed peasants. Robin collected a band of supporters, his "Merry Men" around him, dressed in green. The members that never cease to appear are Robin himself, Maid Marian, Little John, and Friar Tuck. Robin spends his time fighting the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham, and, ultimately, King John, who had usurped the throne from the rightful King, Richard I (Lionheart).

Watch a free Lego version of Robin Hood. Enjoy it!