New year resolution

The world economy explained with just two cows.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10208490302599166&id=1355457586

B2 Reader for Christmas

My dear B2 students,

I'm happy to let you know that I have chosen a book for you to read over the Christmas holiday. It's a story of treason, murder, repent and ambition. Of course, it was written by William Shakespeare and it's drama.

Read it, think about it, look up the words, and remember -and this is really important!- DON'T MENTION THE SCOTTISH PLAY!!!

There will be no exam about this book. However, we'll have a group discussion in which I'll ask you to analyze some of the aspects of the play.

And then, a surprise...

♫ Enya - May it be ( lyrics ) ♫ not only has she a great voice also a great style

C1 progress test unit 3

My dear C1ish students,

Here's the pdf with the progress test for unit 3. Please download it, do it and we'll check it in class on Wednesday 2nd Dec/Thursday 3rd December.

Hope you're having fun with the inversions. Not only are they interesting, they're also essential for your exams! ;-)

See you in class,
Vincent

Owen Jones in Salvados

You can view the full program here.

B2 and C1 New York in the Fifties

Dear all,

Do you like this painting? Do you know who painted it?

Have you read On the Road? Do you know what kind of paper Jack Kerouac used to write his novel?

Watch this video and be amazed at how genious minds worked in 1951 in New York.







This is from a series of documentaries from the BBC. Click here if you want to know more.

C1 Inversion

My dear C1 students,
Please download this pdf in which you will find explanations and exercises about inverrsion in English.

Should you really want to pass the exam, this is one of the points I think you should master.

You have the key to the exercises at the end of the pdf file.

We'll talk about this later in class.

Hope you find it useful.

Inversions

Take care,
Vincent

The power of education

C1 Preview Unit 3

Dear C1 students,

We're about to finish unit 2 and therefore I'm sending you preview exercises for unit 3. You will find some for unit 4 as well. Ignore that by now and focus on unit 3, which is important and intense.

Preview unit 3 face2face C1

Enjoy it and learn,

Vincent

the ocean

https://www.facebook.com/311176479006876/videos/331354613655729/

Obama and Attenborough talk about the environment

Dear all,

Don't miss out this amazingly intense interview with Barack Obama and David Attenborough, in which they discuss about the environment. Whose English do you understand better? Obama's American or Attenborough's British?

Sir David Attenborough is worldwide recognised as one of the best naturalists and producers working for the BBC. Chances are that you have seen more than one of his documentaries.

Enjoy it!

Vincent










This is the full interview in case you're interested: https://youtu.be/NZtJ2ZGyvBI

You say potato, I say potato...

Dear students,

Some of you told me in class you had never heard this song. Let's find a solution to that.

Two of the greatest musicians in the history of jazz get together for you: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Enjoy it!!!

Vincent

PS. Extra point if you give me the meaning of 'call the whole thing off'!

C1 Prepare to be AMAZED!!!

Guys,
You HAVE TO watch this video in which Daniel Tammet talks about his savant condition. As you'll remember, we read a text about him on unit 2A of the book.

Your jaw will just drop in surprise!!!

Enjoy it,
Vincent

English and Cinema

Eight webs to learn English wiht films...

A game...

Hi guys,

Earlier today I was biking around town and even though I know it's forbidden, I was listening to my iPod on shuffle mode. Suddenly, I heard this song, which I listened to quite a few years back in time and I found it very exciting.

The song was composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, a very well-known Japanese composer, famous for such films as The Last Emperor, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence or Almodóvar's Tacones lejanos.

I propose you this game, which has to do with the vocabulary from the B2 book:

Listen to the song and tell me what is exciting for the couple singing. DON'T look at the lyrics before! (You can search for them after listening to the song, though.

This man's music is absolutely breathtaking!

Hope you like it!

XOXO,
Vincent

Do you remember this...?

What film does this come from...? Share your feelings in the comments!

It's the power of love! Can you feel it?

Idioms

If you want to enjoy the video again...

Can you do this...?

Proava Tastings

Hi, guys
that is a good opportunity to taste wine practising English.

B2 Vocabulary practice

Dear B2s,

Please find here some exercises for you to remeber the vocabulary that we have seen this unit.

1A Character adjectives. (Don't do Activity C. In activity D, complete only the 'ME' column).

2B Trying and succeeding.

Hope you find it useful.

Take care,
Vincent

B2 homework 17-18 October

Please go to your workbooks and do the activities on pages 7, 8 and 9, including the listening. This is a preparation for the writing activity I'll ask you to do next week so it's important for you to do it.

Remember you can access the workbook audio on http://esource.cambridge.org You need the code on your workbook.

Apart from this, enjoy the weekend!

XOXO,
Vincent

C1 Preview Unit 2

Dear C1 students,

Please download the pdf on this link in order to preview the contents of Unit 2 of the book. You'll find the answers in your Student's Book.

Hope you find it useful.

Enjoy and learn,
Vincent

C1 Fake nice

Dear C1 students,

Are you the faking type or the blunt kind of person?

Read about the issue from a British point of view and share your thoughts:

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/fake-nice-people-worse-than-authentic-bastards-2015020995197

Bert and Ernie grow a flower

I love this couple!!!!

B2 Joan Ganz Cooney: an inspiring woman

Dear B2 guys,

You might also like to watch this video interview with Joan Ganz Cooney, the inspiring story of a woman changing things.

More info about her here.

Hope you like it!

Love,
Vincent

B2 Jonathan Ive talking about design

Dear B2 guys,

I found this and thought you might find it interesting.

Hope you like it.

Cheers,

Vincent

Apple (B2)

Dear students,

Apple: Are you a lover or a hater? Usually there's no in-between.

In connection with the text we read in class about Jonathan Ive and Steve Jobs, please find a text in which Farhad Manjoo from The New York Times discusses about the new iPhone 6S. Read it and look up any unfamiliar words you find.

Text: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/technology/personaltech/apples-iphone-still-breaks-the-rules-eight-years-on.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone

The textbooks

Dear students,
please note that the textbooks to be used for this year are the following:

2nd B2

Empower Upper-Intermediate B2
ISBN:

Student's Book: 9781107468726
Workbook: 9781107469044


C1

face2face Advanced C1
ISBN: 9788490363959
(This ISBN includes the Workbook as well)

I hope you find this info useful.

XOXO,
Vincent

Please complete this form only once if you are my student for this year 2015/2016. Thanks!

Welcome to the class of 2016

My dear students,
For the seventh year in a row, I'm going to be teaching at the EOI Llíria. My levels for this year will be B2 (second year) and C1. I'm absolutely thrilled that you're reading this blog. Please take part in it with respect and enjoy both the blog and the classes. And most of all, learn as much as you can!

Welcome to the class of 2016!!!

Vincent