LISTENING TIPS

When doing listening exercises, it is important to focus on the main topic or the goal you have with the activity. So, if you are on basic level, listening could result disgusting because you may not understand a word. Generally, listening exercises have a context that is given in several ways. Taking into account these considerations, please practice your listening skill and improve them by following the tips below:

• Read the questions or try to understand all the exercise carefully.
• Think, prepare or review the target vocabulary.
• Think about possible answers for each question or activity according to the given context.
• Keep the needed information in order.
• Listen as many times as you need to better understand.
• Check your answers, ask for help if needed.
• And, the most important thing: you must have good attitude for doing your work well.

LANGUAGE DAY

Language Day celebration last Tuesday April 23rd was fantastic. Students from all levels participated and had the chance to appreciate the show. Here, some pictures of the event.

MY FAVORITE FOOD AND PLACES TO EAT (9°)

PROJECT: UNIT 1

PAIRS Make a collage showing your favorite foods and places to eat. Follow the instructions below and use your notes from your pair discussion. 

1. On a piece of paper, make a list of your favorite foods and places to eat. The places can be street stalls, coffee shops, restaurants, or even your home. Take, print out, or draw pictures of the food and the places that you eat them in. 

2. Write the favorite foods and places to eat on pieces of paper in different sizes. Also write sentences about the foods and places. Then glue the pieces of paper to a large piece of paper or cardboard, along with the pictures you have found. 

For example:(Writing in your collage) 

MY FAVORITE FOODS AND PLACES TO EAT

My favorite food is pizza. I like eating pizza at my favorite pizzeria. It's a restaurant near my house that serves only pizza…. 

3. Present your collage to the class. Compare your collages. Do you and your classmates like the same foods and restaurants?

MAKING A POSTER (8° STUDENTS)

Here you'll find the instructions to complete the project in Unit 1.

Remember you must work in groups of four.

PAIRS Make a poster about the favorite free-time activities of teenagers in your country. Follow the instructions below and use your notes from your pair discussion.

1 Make a list of the favorite free-time activities of teenagers in your country.

1 ____________________________________________

2 ____________________________________________

3 ____________________________________________

4 ____________________________________________

5 ____________________________________________

2 Find photos or draw pictures of teens doing the activities. Paste the pictures on a big piece of paper or cardboard. Write one or two sentences next to each picture to describe what the people are doing.

For example:

FREE-TIME ACTIVITIES

Teenagers in my country often listen to music on their cell phones.

GIVING MEANINGS IN ENGLISH

A good strategy to give the definition of a  word in English is knowing the way to start it. So, the first thing you have to know is what kind or what speech category the word is.

- If it is a noun you can start: "It is something that ..." 

For example: 

What is a pen?

It is something that you use to write.

- If it is a place you can start: " In this place you can ... ( say an action related to the place) or "It is a place in which you..."

For example:

What is a library?

It is a place in which you can read books.

- If it is an occupation or a word related to people: "It's the person who..."  or " This person ...(followed by an action in present simple)

For example:

What is a dentist?

It's the person who takes care of people´s teeth.

A HEALTHY MENU (7° STUDENTS)

Review the vocabulary on Unit 1 about food and make the menu from your favorite cafeteria. Then, classify the food into healthful and unhealthful. Use a sheet of cardboard to design the menu. Be creative.

1. MY FAVORITE CAFETERIA

MENU

MAIN DISHES

SIDE DISHES

DRINKS

DESSERTS

2 Look at the menu again. Which food are healthful? Which are unhealthful? Write them in the chart below.

HEALTHFUL FOODS	UNHEALTHFUL FOODS
Salad, …	French fries, ....

IDIOMS WITH "F"

Can you guess the meaning of the following idioms?

- figure out (someone or something)
- fill in
- find out
- first of all
- for sure

Now, match the idioms above with their corresponding meanings.

- the very first thing

- without doubt, certainly, surely

- to write words in blank spaces

- permanently

- to try to understand someone or something, to solve something

Try by yourself. Use a dictionary if needed. Then complete the following sentences with the appropriate idiom.

1) Please ___________ this form and give it to the receptionist.
2) The city plans to close the public swimming pool ____________.
3) I will go to the movie with you ____________ next week.

PROJECT - UNIT 1 (6° STUDENTS)

We almost finish Unit 1 and this is the moment to check some of your skills. The project 1 started by collecting some information about people you know who have studied or study English. Organize the information into a chart as follow.

For example:

PEOPLE I KNOW WHO STUDY OR HAVE STUDIED ENGLISH
Name	Age	Grade level	Country and Nationality	Reasons for studying English
Antonio C.	20	In College	Mexico / Mexican	He wants to get a good job after college.

Complete the  activity in  groups of three for next class.

Good luck!!!

LANGUAGE DAY, COMING SOON

We will be celebrating "Language Day" next April 23rd, and the Language Team at Colsam is preparing some interesting activities in order to promote the communicating skills in all the school. Remember you are an active part in this process so get ready for the event by asking about this important event held every year. We will be announcing what you need to do depending on the level you are.

BARRANQUILLA´S BIRTHDAY

The Departamento de Humanidades and its club prepared one of the conmemorating rooms for Barranquilla´s Birthday. This year we are celebrating Barranquilla´s Bicentenary (1813-2013). In this oportunity, we set the room named "Cultura Quillera" in which we did a review on the most important features in Barranquilla´s culture, understanding "culture" as a group of different activities, talents, traditions, events or projects held in the city throughout the time. Topics like dancing, singing, literature, crafts, language, among others were included.

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IDIOMS WITH THE VERB "GET"

The verb "get" is one of the most used in english speaking, so it is not easy to understand some expressions including this verb. Here some of the common expressions with the verb "get".

get back to (something): - to return to something

Example: "I was happy to get back to my work after my holiday".

get into (something): - to become interested or involved in something

Example: "We will get into the details of the plan tomorrow".

get into (somewhere): - to enter somewhere

Example: "I bumped my head as I was getting into the car". 

get out of (somewhere): - to leave somewhere, to escape from somewhere

Example :  "I ´m in a hurry so  I want to get out of my house quickly". 

HAPPY EASTER!!!

We celebrated last Sunday EASTER that is a holiday around the world that conmemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after His Passion. The celebration is held according to the religious beliefs.

These days we can listen to many people talking about the "Easter Bunny" that is a very interesting character. It represents a rabbit spirit that is related to the fertility. It was originated in Rome where people thought that "all life come from egg". Children woke up on Easter Sunday and found baskets of candies. They also had to look for eggs that were decorated for them before Easter.

 

Today, it is easy to see how children celebrate Easter by decorating eggs and looking for them.

 

I hope this period of Easter means for you a "seed of life" that helps you understand Jesus Christ's passion, dead and resurrection.

PAST TENSE (5° STUDENTS)

Dear students:

 

Review the vocabulary about the irregular verbs in Unit 2 from your books and complete the following sentences with the correct verb in past tense:

 

1. Jon ________________________ his bike yesterday.

 

2. Kate ______________________ in the pool last week.

 

3. My father ________________ dinner last night.

 

4. I __________________ for the exam before he _____________ to sleep.

 

5. Mike _____________________ some apples in the supermarket yesterday.

REINFORCEMENT ACTIVITY (11° STUDENTS)

This is a specific activity for those students who have a basic or low performance this first period in order to get advantage to their final result.

Remember one of the processes in which we use the passive voice in class. 

THE RECYCLED PAPER PROCESS

First, the used paper is collected. 

It is taken to the recycling center.

The paper is cleaned and classified.

The useless paper is separated.

The good paper is processed.

New paper is made.

Finally, the new paper is sold or delivered.

NOW, CHOOSE ANY SIMPLE PROCESS YOU WANT TO DESCRIBE AS A COMMENT. USE THE PASIVE VOICE.