I am huMAN,´uman, heman, hoeman,hoaxman,etc..

Perhaps because some of our students never go beyond mastering the verb "to be", we need to devise some simple creative exercises and free writing activities in order to get to know ourselves better. Here are 3 examples:

 1)  I AM..... (YOU JUST LIST EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU ARE).

I AM  A STUDENT, A MAMMAL,  A SON, A DAUGHTER, AN UNCLE, AN AUNT, A NEPHEW, A NIECE,A CITIZEN, A EUROPEAN, A SPANIARD, AN ANDALUSIAN, A HETEROSEXUAL, A HOMOSEXUAL, AN ARTIST, A RIDER,  A DRIVER, A COMPUTER USER, A COOK, A GARDENER, A BOYFRIEND, A GIRLFRIEND, A MUSICIAN, A FOOD LOVER, A CYCLIST,

A WRITER, AN AUTONOMOUS LEARNER, A REBEL,  A PACIFIST, A TEAM MEMBER, A FAMILY MEMBER, A GROUP MEMBER, A BELIEVER, A LOSER, A WINNER, A TOY BOY, A PROPHET, A REVOLUTIONARY, A GHOST, A GUMMY BEAR, A STEREOTYPE, A PSYCHO, A BULLY, A DRUG ADDICT, A GOOD CANDIDATE/FRIEND, A PIRATE, A FOOL, A STAR, A TOURIST,  A MANIAC, A SINGER, A DANCER, A WOLF, A RAINBOW, A SKY FULL OF STARS

A ROCK, A MESS, A SINGLE MAN/WOMAN, A CONSUMER, AN ALBATROSS,A VEGETARIAN, A VEGAN, A BOOK LOVER, AN ANIMAL LOVER, A SOCIAL  REFORMER, A HYPOCRITE, A SOCIALIST, A CONSERVATIVE, AN ANIMAL, A COWARD, A HERO, A ZERO, A FAN, 

FUN, MYSELF, COLD, HOT,INCREDIBLE,SOCIABLE,THIRSTY, THIRTY, THRIFTY, IN A HURRY,ECCENTRIC, DIVINE, SASSY, ORIGINAL, SPONTANEOUS,IN LOVE, DIVINE, DANGEROUS,  CHARLIE HEBDO,etc..(LIST TEN MORE )

I AM ALL THAT ABOVE.

I AM.... THEREFORE I THINK.

(inspired by Brian Eno´s diary A Year with swollen appendices.)

2)  MAN  IS THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT......:.

 

BLUSHES or NEEDS TO (Mark Twain)

CAN REMAIN ON FRIENDLY TERMS WITH THE VICTIMS HE INTENDS TO EAT..( Samuel Butler)

HAS CHILDREN ON PURPOSE(P.J.O´ROURKE)

CREATES  PROBLEMS THEY CANNOT SOLVE

LIES AWAKE IN THE DARK AND WEEPS FOR THEIR SINS( W. WHITMAN)

IS DEMENTED BY THE MANIA OF OWNING THINGS.

KNEELS TO ANOTHER OF HIS KIND WHO LIVED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

CAN LAUGH AND WEEP AT THE SAME TIME.

CAN BE BOTH PEDANTIC AND PRETENTIOUS. 

CAN EAT AND DRINK WITHOUT BEING HUNGRY OR THIRSTY.

 

(Inspired by ADVANCED BANTER)

 

3) When the students have developed some form of abstract thought; they can fill in the following sentence:

HUMAN..................................... IS ENDLESS/  INFINITE/UNFATHOMABLE.

I¨ve come up with the following:

STUPIDITY, FOOLISHNESS, GENEROSITY, EVIL,CRUELTY, RUDENESS, IMAGINATION,GOODNESS,STUBBORNNESS, GRACE, FUN, FOLLY; COMPASSION,GULLIBILITY, FAITH, HOPE, DESPAIR, FEAR, HUNGER

EDUCATION, RESOURCEFULNESS, LEARNING ABILITY,ARBITRARINESS,

CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY, FAILURE, TRIUMPH, IDLENESS, DISASTER,ECCENTRICITY,PUSILLANIMITY,DETERMINATION,

AMBIVALENCY,.ARGUMENTATION,DESTRUCTION,DIVERSIFICATION...

( In your humble opinion what other abstract nouns would fill the gap?)

 

 

 

Songs for Specific Purposes (SSP)

Once a week we have played songs according to the following categories and the list could be enlarged with the students´contributions:

1) SPELLING :    Y,M.C.A., L.O.L.A., G.L.O.R.I.A., D.I.V.O.R.C.E., R.E.S.P.E.C.T., D.I.S.C.O., G.U.Y.,..

2) HOURS : TWO IN THE MORNING, 3 A.M.,  FOUR IN THE MORNING, FIVE O´CLOCK, SEVEN A.M...

3) WEEKDAYS: MONDAY, MONDAY; TUESDAY GONE, WEDNESDAY NIGHT,THURSDAY SONG, FRIDAY ON MY MIND, SATURDAY I´M IN LOVE. 

4) MONTHS: JANUARY SONG, APRIL LOVE, MAY DAY, JUNE AFTERNOON, JULY FLAME, AUGUST RUSH, ...

5) GHOSTS:  GHOSTSBUSTERS, GHOSTS THAT WE KNEW, GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, GHOSTRIDERS IN THE SKY, GHOSTS,...

6) MOON: MOONDANCE, MOONSHADOW, MOON RIVER, MONKBERRY MOON DELIGHT, MOONLIGHT SHADOW, MAN ON THE MOON,..

7) WIND: COLOURS OF THE WIND, WINDS OF CHANGE, I TALK TO THE WIND, WHAT COLOUR IS THE WIND?, WINDS OF MARCH,...

8) BITS OF SPANISH: TOES, LA ISLA BONITA, ROMANCE IN DURANGO,SPANISH BOMBS, ADDICTED TO YOU, LIVING LA VIDA...

9) COLOURS: BLUE VELVET, BROWN SUEDE SHOES, THE GREEN DOOR, A WHITER SHADE OF PALE, BLACK DOG, PURPLE RAIN,..

10) NUMBERS: 9 TO FIVE, 3 LITTLE BIRDS, 7/11, 8 DAYS A WEEK, 100 MILES, 500 MILES, 9 MILLION BICYCLES,..

11) MURDER BALLADS: DELILAH, LILY OF THE WEST, TOM DOOLEY,..

12) TRAGEDIES: IN THE GHETTO, GIRLFRIEND IN A COMA, TEEN IDLE, A DAY IN THE LIFE, A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES, CHANDELIER,..

13) FILM MUSIC: ROCKY, STAR WARS, GABRIEL´S OBOE, PINK PANTHER,..

14) "IF":  IF I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU, IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO YOU, IF YOU ARE HAPPY, IF I WERE A RICH MAN, IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER, IF I COULD, IF I COUD ONLY FLY,..

15) ADS & JINGLES:  GIVE A LITTLE BIT, KNOCKING ON HEAVEN´S DOOR, WE ARE YOUNG, EVERYTHING YOU DIDN´T DO, ARGUMENT WITH  MYSELF,..

16) PASSIVE VOICE : COULD YOU BE LOVED? SWEET DREAMS, SHE WILL BE LOVED, UNWRITTEN,  FEEL, DON´T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD,..

17) PRESENT PERFECT: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE RAIN?, I STILL HAVEN´T FOUND WHAT I´M LOOKING FOR, WE´VE ONLY JUST BEGUN,..

18) LA, LA, LA or NA,NA,NA: HEY JUDE, SHE´S GOT THE LOOK, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, PRETTY YOUNG THING, TELL ME,LIVE IS LIFE,..

19) WHISTLING: WHISTLE, JEALOUS GUY, SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY, LOVE LETTERSS IN THE SAND,HI HO HI HO, TWO OF US,..

20) PLACE NAMES: AMARILLO, TOKYO SKYLINE, AMSTERDAM, BARCELONA,BOSTON, BERLIN, CHICAGO, DUBLIN, KAT MANDU,..

21) WOMEN´S NAMES: DEAR CLAUDIA, ANGIE, ANNIE´S SONG, BILLIE JEAN, OH CAROL, SWEET CAROLINE, EMILY, LUCILLE, SANTA LUCIA,..

22) MEN´S NAMES: JOHN BROWN, JEREMY, STAN, DANNY, FERNANDO,ARTHUR, DANIEL, DENNIS, HEY JOE, JACKIE WILSON,..

23) MONEY: MONEY FOR NOTHING, MONEY TALKS, MONEY ON MY MIND, ALL FOR THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY,..

24) NO, NO,NO: REHAB,  NO NO SONG, , NO, NO LINE, NO ONE, NO WOMN, NO CRY, SHOULD´VE SAID NO, 

25) COPIED SONGS /PLAGIARISM: SAM SMITH´S STAY WITH ME v. TOM PETTY´S WON´T BACK DOWN. COLD PLAY´S VIVA LA VIDA v JOE SATRIANI´S IF I COULD FLY; GEORGE HARRISON´S MY SWEET LORD v HE´S SO FINE, MUDDY WATERS´YOU NEED LOVE v. LED ZEPPELIN´S A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE,..

(We´ve done half, could you continue by adding songs to the different categories?)

26) ECOLOGY  & NATURE 

27) POLITICAL SONGS

28) WAR SONGS

29)  PEACE SONGS

30) TRAIN 

31) EARTH 

32) RELIGIOUS & GOSPEL

33) CHRISTMAS

34) RAIN

35) QUESTION SONGS

36) T.P.R. SONGS

37) FUNERAL SONGS

38) PLACES AND COUNTRIES
39) GAY & LESBIAN LOVE
40) PLANE  & FLYING SONGS 
41) NURSERY RHYMES
42) HUMOROUS  & FUN SONGS 
43) PATRIOTIC SONGS AND ANTHEMS
44) SPIRITUAL HYMNS
45) PARTY & DRINKING SONGS TO SING ALONG
46) OPERA 
47) SILLY SONGS
48) BABE, BABY SONGS
49)BEACH/SEASIDE SONGS
50) FOOTBALL & SPORTS SONGS
51) FITNESS & WORKOUT
52) HOLIDAY:  SUMMER,..

TRY TO FIND THE COMPOSERS OF THE SONGS ABOVE MAKE YOUR OWN  SONG LIST WITH THE  DIFFERENT CATEGORIES FOR EACH WEEK OF THE YEAR.

Against a million worn cliches and myths LOVE IS....

This unit was inspired by Niamh Eilis Sarah Williams,(N.E.S.W.) an avid reader and bookworm from 3rd C. Her naively innocent views on teenage love prompted me to develop the materials below, which
 should originally be dealt with together with the Valentine Projects in February.
Niamh is an extraordinary human being, a compulsive writer of good stories and I´m going to quote literally what she writes about her own life: " We are born with such wonder for life. Everything is bright colours and rainbows. Then, school starts and we get thrown into the real world of anxiety, depression,Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, OCD,ADHD, bipolar disorders,neurosis, competition, schizophrenia, abuse,fear, self-harm, anorexia, suicide..."  As a teenager´s life can be so hard it´s easy to understand this idealization of love as a way of venting out anger, escaping humdrum realities and projecting positive feelings. 
There´s plenty of good websites on the net to discover what love is for other people:
Love is quotes; Honeymoons.about.com; Love quotes; Brainy quotes,23 things that love is; etc..

LOVE  IS...

FRIENDSHIP THAT HAS CAUGHT FIRE (ANNA  LANDERS)

FRIENDSHIP FOR LIFE

NOT SOMETHING YOU FIND. IT IS SOMETHING THAT FINDS YOU(L.Y.)

QUIET UNDERSTANDING

MUTUAL CONFIDENCE

THE ONLY FACE CAPABLE OF TRANSFORMING AN ENEMY INTO A FRIEND (M.L.KING)

LIKE WAR: EASY TO BEGIN BUT HARD TO END

BEING STUPID TOGETHER (PAUL VALERY)

LIKE A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER WHICH I MAY NOT TOUCH (H. KELLER)

MUSIC

NEVER LOST( WASHINGTON IRVING)

A GAME THAT TWO CAN PLAY AND BOTH WIN

OUR MOTHER

RESPECT

THE TRIUMPH OF IMAGINATION OVER INTELLIGENCE (H.L.MENCKEN)

LIKE A TATTOO: ONCE YOU´VE GOT IT , IT´S HARD AND HURTFUL TO GET RID OF.

PATIENT, KIND (CORINTHIANS)

WHEN FOREVER ISN´T LONG ENOUGH

KNOWING THEY HAVE FAULTS BUT NOT CARING

AN EMBRACE EVEN WHEN YOU ARE FURIOUS

KNOWING YOU ARE A BETTER PERSON JUST BECAUSE THEY EXIST IN YOUR WORLD.

WHEN IT DOES NOT MATTER  IF YOU ARE A GRYFFINDOR AND HE´S A SLYTHERIN

HOW JACK LOVED ROSE AND HOW ROMEO LOVED JULIET...

TELLING THEM YOU LIKE THEIR T-SHIRT AND THEN THEY ALWAYS WEAR IT.

WHEN EVERY LOVE SONG YOU HEAR IS SUDDENLY ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU.

WATCHING HUNDREDS OF ROMANTIC MOVIES AND YET THINKING WHAT YOU HAVE IS BETTER

STRONGER AND LOUDER THAN THE PRESSURE TO BE PERFECT

INSULTING EACH OTHER AND NEVER BEING OFFENDED

WANTING TO MAKE THEM SMILE EVEN WHEN THEY ARE ILL, SNOTTY AND DISGUSTING.

WHEN THEY LOVE THE THINGS YOU HATE ABOUT YOURSELF.

WHEN A DAY IS NOT COMPLETE UNLESS YOU´VE SPOKEN TO THEM.

GIVING SOMEONE PEMISSION TO CRUSH YOUR HEART BUT TRUSTING THEM NOT TO.

WHEN SOMEBODY CARES ENOUGH TO BREAK DOWN THE WALLS YOU BUILT AROUND YOURSELF.

YOUR LAST ROLO

SAYING YOU´RE SORRY EVEN WHEN YOU ARE RIGHT

THE LIGHT IN THE DARK FOREST

SUPPORTING EACH OTHER THROUGH THICK AND THIN

WHEN YOU CAN´T STOP THINKING OF THAT ONE PERSON

WHEN A WORD BRIGHTENS UP YOUR DAY

THE ONLY THING THAT CAN COVER UP PAIN

OXYGEN

ALL YOU NEED

MYSTERIOUS

WATER IN THE DESERT

AN EVERLASTING SUMMER

METAPHYSICAL GRAVITY (R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER)

WHO YOU WANT TO BE WITH FOREVER

SOMEONE YOU CAN´T LIVE WITHOUT

A GROSS EXAGGERATION OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ONE PERSON AND EVERYBODY ELSE ( G.B. SHAW)

A FEELING THAT CREEPS UP ON YOU WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT

SOMETHING SPECIAL, AN INWARD FEELING

THE DELIGHTFUL INTERVAL BETWEEN MEETING A BEAUTIFUL GIRL AND DISCOVERING THAT SHE LOOKS LIKE A HADDOCK (JOHN BARRYMORE)

GOD

AND, FINALLY, LOVE IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE. 

 

1)Try to classify the above statements into categories: Courtly love, Romantic, Neoplatonic, Christian, etc..

2) Find love songs with the word love; Ex.: Love me do, Love me tender, ;My love, Loving you, I will always love you,l.o.v.e.; love story; love me like you do; lovers on the sun; etc..

3) We´ve seen what love is, should be or can be. Write sentences about what LOVE IS NOT......

4) Questions.: IS LOVE.........?

5) Do you believe in LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT/BITE/NIGHT?

6) LOVE EVOLVES, doesn´t it?

7) Love your job. Which profession would you ideally like to have?

8) Define : lovebirds

                  luv

                  lovey-dovey

                  love ( in tennis)

                  love-stricken

9) Find duplicatives such as hocus pocus, higgledy-piggledy, wishy-washy,etc..

10) Write a brief composition on My first love.....

11) The chemistry of love. Learn about norepiphedrine,dopamine,endorphins,adrenalin 

12) T-shirts love slogans and catchphrases. Invent your own motto. 

13) I love you because ..... Write ten more reasons as in the following text:

Just to tell you why I love you

"I love you because of your lovely eyes and because of the way you smile and the way you do your piglet imitation. Because of your endless patience and because of your occasional irritability. Because of the way you dance, and the way you look so hurt when I criticize your shirts. Because you like silly music that you can do silly movements to. Because you have stopped wearing your boots and that striped woolly hat that your grandmother knit for you. Because of the funny position that you sleep in, and the things you say before you are properly awake in the morning. Because of your repeated “joke” about being unfaithful, though by now this is beginning to wear a bit thin. Because you are so nice to everyone which makes you the nicest person in the world and because you make my dinner and mended my bike and always get rid of the crumbs in the bed, and because you listen when I´m moaning away, and because you look after me when I’m ill or worried or have nightmares, and you make me laugh ever so much and because of your body which is very nice to cuddle, and your hair which is just getting curly again and because of your attempts at risqué “men of the world” jokes which are very silly but which you can’t tell properly anyway and because you make my breakfast and  because of your voice which us both fragile and musical and because…"

(Heartfelt thanks to Lara Fernández Acosta for transcribing the original and genuine love text, written over 50 years ago)

Offbeat & Devious thinkers:Counterculture?

Trying to see the world the other way round has long been a tradition in Western thought. There is a line from the late XVIIIth century Romanticism to the LGBT counterculture of our early XXIst century which passes through Bohemianism, the beat generation, the hippy and punk movements of the XXth century. Classic counterculture novels include Henry Miller´s Tropic of Cancer, Slaughterhouse five by Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller´s Catch 22 or Erica Jong´s Fear of Flying.
In this project we ask you to choose one of the  30 authors below and to explain briefly their most outstanding contributions to our educational culture. They are all mixed up chronologically so a little time order will do us good to understand ourselves:

GEORGES GUSDORF        (why teachers?)

A.S. NEILL                           (Summerhill experiences)

PAULO FREIRE                 (Pedagogy of the oppressed)

MARÍA MONTESSORI     (Spontaneous Activity in Education)

EVERETT REIMER          (School is dead)(Alternatives in Education)

HERBERT KOHL               (36 Children)

GEORGE D.P.CARLIN      (Things not to say)

JOHN TAYLOR GATTO    (Against School)

IVAN ILLICH                      (Deschooling Society)

GRACE  LLEWELLYN      (Homeschooling)

ALFIE KOHN                     (No Grades,  No Homework)

JOHN HOLT                      (From Homeschooling to Unschooling)

CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS   ( On God)

KEN ROBINSON             (Lack of School Creativity)

CHARLOTTE THOMSON ISERBYT  (The dumbing down of the world)

DENNIS ATKINSON        (Innovative Practices in the Classroom)

JOHAN HEINRICH PESTALOZZI (Thought  experiments)

SUGATA MITRA             (Unstoppable Learning) 

FRIEDRICH FROEBEL  (Educational Toys)

JEAN PIAGET                   (Cognitive Development)

CARL ROGERS                (Self actualization)

LEV VYGOTSKY             (Collaborative Learning)

DAVID AUSUBEL           (Meaningful Learning) 

HOWARD GARDNER    (Multiple Intelligences) 

DANIEL GOLEMAN      (Emotional Intelligence) 

RUDOLPH STEINER    (Holistic Education)

JIDDU  KRISHNAMURTI  (Alternative   "  )

FRANCISCO GINER DE LOS RÍOS (Learning FREEDOM) 

MARGARET BANCROFT   (Special Needs)

JOHN DEWEY                    (Free Personalities)

JEROME BRUNER           (Learning by Discovery)

 

see  Alternet.org; Edutopia.org;Teachhub.com; Open Culture.com

 

On being Nice and ( a bit) Nasty on April Fools´ Day...

April 1st marks the time when people play practical jokes or harmless tricks on their friends and neighbours. This custom began in France and soon spread to other countries.In France, the victim is known as an April fish; in Scotland , he is called an April gowk.
 Over 20 years ago we devised a set of projects called the April Fools´Day Projects, published by the Teachers´Centre at Vélez-Málaga,in which a series of activities based on verbal and visual humour were combined.
In this "bloggers" approach we are to focus on communication activities related to humour.
There are excellent jokes on the Net and some pages may have you in stitches like kickasshumour or reality.com.
Let´s start our communication activities with an oral task,:

the good news& bad news: "I´ve got some good news and I have some bad news "

GOOD NEWS                                                      BAD NEWS

Time flies                                                       You are the pilot

The Martians have landed                         They are not warriors/vegetarians..

I´ve found 100 Euros                                  They are full of dirt/shit

They´ve found a cure for cancer               It´s very expensive

I´m going on holiday                                  I have no money left

I´m hungry                                               There´s a spider in my sandwich 

Summer is here                                        I haven´t got a bikini

My favourite TV programme is on      My TV set is broken

It´s my birthday                                       I have to work today

The new road is open                             There are too many accidents

We are throwing a party                       There´s a general strike

Some flowers have arrived                   We don´t know who they´re from.

I´ve won the pools                                  I suffer from ill health

Our neighbours are moving                 Worse neighbours may come

 

SITUATIONAL JOKES:(See how many jokes you can tell in each category)

at a restaurant: "Waiter, waiter,...."

at a hospital:"Doctor, Doctor....."

Mother-in-law jokes

After-dinner jokes

Politically Incorrect jokes(racial, gay, gypsies,..)

Drinking jokes

Students´ jokes. Exam howlers

Bumper stickers

Religious (Heaven & Hell, priests´) jokes

Irish/Scottish jokes

Lawyers´jokes

Lepe/Essex girls jokes

Prison jokes

Psychiatrists´jokes

Wedding jokes

Blonde jokes

Yo mama jokes

Army jokes

One-liners

Comic Dictionary

Proverbs re-written

Personal projects: 

Invent an absurd story, Share an unlikely piece of gossip, Start rumours, for instance: new boss, random drugs testing, school closing down, compulsory personality testing, new compulsory tests for both teachers and students,bomb scare, etc..

                                    Think of a typical school prank:i.e.: See how loudly you can get sb to talk on the phone by saying you can´t hear him or Adopt an ACCENT or compose all your e-mails in rhyming couplets,or..

                                   A prank a day will keep boredom at bay. 

There are countless ways of having fun  at work. Reflect on freshmen´s rites  of passage   and the fine line between sadism and a practical joke or a hoax. 

                                          

She texted me: "Your adorable"

I replied: "No. You´re adorable"

(And now she thinks I like her.

All I did was point out her mistake-typo-)

 

(an afterthought)ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE...

April Fools' Day 2015 – the best jokes from around the world

Check the Guardian link  above.

 

             

A Quick SWISS Quiz for Whiz Kids!

Passing through Zürich on my way To Hannover I devised the questionnaire below to point out the historical connections between Spain & Switzerland.

A)Name five Swiss cities: B (2)...    L(2)...G (1)

B)Name four languages spoken in Switzerland. The different names of the country in these languages can give you some clues:

SCHWEIZ

SUISSE

SUIZZERA

SUIZRA

SUIZA

C) How many cantons are there in Switzerland? Name ten of them.

D) What does HSBC (the bank) stand for?

E) Why do you think Switzerland is and has long been a "neutral" country?

F) Name some famous peaks in the Swiss Alps.

G)Spelling practice: L_I_E_C_H_T_E_N_S_T_E_I_N

     What is its capital city?

H) Name some Swiss companies which manufacture chocolate or watches.

I) What is a Swiss knife?

J) What is the international registration code for Swiss cars when they travel abroad? (A clue : The Latin name for Switzerland will give you the idea)

K) Name some famous people who died in Switzerland, for instance Charles Chaplin, Erasmus, Graham Greene, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas Mann, James Joyce, Audrey Hepburn, Herman Hesse, Richard Burton, Rainer Mª Rilke, etc..

L)  Why is the Vatican Guard Swiss?

M) What is Swiss Colony?

N) If a Swiss Watch is a SWATCH, give examples of more blends in present-day English, as in FANTABULOUS, ALCOHOLIDAY,..

Ñ) Translate into Spanish Swiss Chard.......................

O) A legendary figure from Switzerland is the folk hero William Tell. What can you Tell us about him?

P) HISPANO-SUIZA was a car-manufacturing company of the early XXth century. Which car models did they produce?

Q) Which international organizations have or had their Head offices in Swiss cities?

R) What is the Swiss family Robinson? Tell us a summary of the story.

S) The Swiss flag has a white cross in the centre. Which other famous crosses can you draw? Ex: Malta, Christian,Devil´s , Lorraine, Svastika,...

T) The Spanish Royal Family " the Bourbons"have long enjoyed life in 

Switzerland. What was the Lausane Manifesto about? 

U) Nowadays, the king´s sister, Cristina, lives in Switzerland with her large family and her "infamous" husband, Mr. Urdangarín. Where have they taken up residence?

V) Give the name for a breed of Swiss milking cow and a typical Swiss cheese. What is a petit suisse? Why is it called like that?

W) After the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath in the Second World War thousands of Spaniards migrated to different countries worldwide. Switzerland was just one of them. Which other countries received Spanish immigrants? NAME AT LEAST TEN countries both from Europe and America.

X) Name two famous LAKES in Switzerland

Y) What is the unit of currency in Switzerland? Do they accept Euros?

Z) Name and shame. Who are those Spanish "patriots" who keep their money safe in Swiss banks, who still show off their true patriotic feelings and yet they avoid paying the Spanish Taxes, thanks to the "Hervé Falciani" list? There are over a thousand of them...including F.Alonso and the Botín family.. Who are the remaining "Hispanophiles"(true lovers of Spain-)?

REALLY??? EXPRESSING SURPRISE IN DIFFERENT WAYS

This unit is dedicated to my 3rdESO C students who are not academically gifted but are always ready for a laugh. You can show surprise in English by repeating the final words of a given sentence with a rising intonation: They´ve found oil in Málaga........OIL IN MÁLAGA?
You can also use a negative tag followed by a positive one, as in  He came back on foot  HE DIDN´T, DID HE ? ; or just an appropriate adjective. My granny had sixteen children...HOW INTERESTING/AMAZING/ SURPRISING; or  REALLY with a rising intonation, which the students seem to enjoy so much or any of the following means:

1. What?
2. What a surprise!
3. Well I never! / Blimey!
4. That's the last thing I expected
5. You're kidding!
6. I don't believe it! / Are you serious?
7. I'm speechless!
8. I'd never have guessed.
9. You don't say!

REACT IN SURPRISE TO THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS:

 

MY GRANDFATHER  GOT DIVORCED THREE TIMES

I DO IT ALL THE TIME

I AM DOING THE SPLITS

SHE´S  DOING TIME

I AM THE WAY , THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

THIS IS TOP SECRET

I AM AN ADULT

FERNANDO DID IT

I´M TRYING TO QUIT

I´M PROUD OF YOU ALL

WE ARE A PRODUCT OF OUR ENVIRONMENT

YOU ARE PART OF A SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT

YOU WENT TO BED WITH WET HAIR

IT IS HEALTHY TO EAT VEGETABLES

I TRIED SOME NEW DRUGS(MEDICINES)

MY ELECTRICY WENT OUT THIS MORNING

I WANTED TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

IT´S A NEW FASHION

I NEED A NEW PILLOW

I RAN OUT OF MONEY/ PETROL

I  AM YOUR MOTHER

THIS HAS TRULY SENTIMENTAL VALUE

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF DECLUTTERING/ DEJUNKING

I HAD A LITTLE TOO MUCH TO DRINK

WE RECONNECTED ON FACEBOOK

YOU ARE A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

WHITE CLOTHES MAKE ME LOOK FAT

I DECIDED TO SLEEP ON IT

I WASN´T WEARING MY GLASSES

THEY ARE GOING THROUGH A ROUGH TIME IN THEIR MARRIAGE

SHE´S GOING THROUGH A SEPARATION

SHE HAS PUT ON A LOT OF WEIGHT

MY BOSS IS AN IDIOT

LIBRARIES SCARE ME.

I´M A BORN-AGAIN DYSLEXIC

SHE SUFFERS FROM ED ZACCHARY DISEASE

WE´RE BETTER AS FRIENDS

YOU ARE TOO GOOD FOR ME

I NEEDED SOME TIME OFF

WE SAW YOU WITH THAT OTHER GIRL

YOU´VE MET SOMEBODY ELSE

YOU WANT TO CATCH WHAT I HAVE

I AM A DOG PERSON

YOU ARE CONVERTING TO A RELIGION INCOMPATIBLE WITH MINE

SOMEBODY HAD A CAMERA PHONE

SHE WAS AN ARTIST

I WAS TRYING TO GET ADOPTED

THERE WAS SOMETHING IN THE AIR

THEY HAD TO EAT

THIS TOWN IS SO BAD

MY HIGH SCHOOL REALLY PREPARED ME

THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE FRIDGE

IT CAN BE CHEAPER TO EAT OUT

HE LOST HIS DRIVING LICENCE

WE WERE OUT OF EGGS AND FLOUR

MY HOUSE HAS A HUGE KITCHEN

SHE KNEW ALL OF HIS PASSWORDS

WE HAD THE KEY

HIS WIFE WAS RUINING HIS LIFE

HE DESERVED BETTER

SHE GAVE ME THE BEST THREE WEEKS OF MY LIFE

I WAS DRINKING TEQUILA

MY BOOTS WERE KILLING ME

WE WEREN´T PICKING UP THE PHONE

THIS IS A FREE COUNTRY

I HATE WEARING THE SAME THING EVERY DAY

SHE PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT ANYWAY

WE WERE JUST TRYING TO HELP.

HE RAISED HIS OWN CHILDREN

I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

MY KIDS MISSED THE BUS

I GOT A NEW BABYSITTER

SHE WORKS ALL DAY

YOU ARE VERY ATHLETIC

HE HAS THE TYPICAL HEADACHE

WE RUINED OUR NAILS

I HAD A BAD DAY AT THE OFFICE

I´M ON HOLIDAY

SHE WAS GOING TO THE GYM

WE ARE STARTING OUR DIET TOMORROW.

I´LL SHOP TILL I DROP

I HAD A COUPON

I SAVED THE RECEIPT

HE BORROWS MY CLOTHES ALL THE TIME

MIDDLE CHILDREN ARE FREAKS

THIS MAKES ME FEEL SEXY

WE ARE INTERESTED IN  THIS SUBJECT.

YOU ARE TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL

YOUR LOVE WAS FOREVER

WE ARE TIRED OF COVERING FOR HER

I DRANK TOO MUCH

SHE THOUGHT IT WAS A PLUM

I HAD A BIG TURKEY DINNER

I´M CATHOLIC

I LOVED GREEN APPLES

SHE HAD AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO PEANUTS/ SUNSHINE

THEY NEEDED  A HAIRCUT

MY FEET HURT

I GOT FRUSTRATED

IT´S NICE TO SHARE

A STAR WAS BORED/ BORN

I READ THIS IN A BOOK SOMEWHERE.

 

(some sentences taken from The Complete Excuses Handbook by Julia Spalding & Lou Harry)