“NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE” (ALL LEVELS)
Dear students, ex-students and followers
After 37 years as a teacher of English, I’m going to retire at the end of this school year and I’m struggling to find a cool way to say goodbye. I hate “goodbyes” since, as the song says, “every time I say goodbye, I die a little” … Life is too short and time flies, believe me!!! . Retirement is not the end, it’s just a new beginning and I am really excited and truly involved in other projects at the moment. However, I’m leaving with the great concern of the present situation for State Language Schools (EOIs). They are going through a critical moment of cuts that affect not only teachers, but also students and the number of groups available. We have to fight to prevent the dismantling of this kind of “public language education” (in-person, not virtual) , which does not exist in any other European country.
As we reach the end of our journey together, I’d like to write a few words to say THANK YOU and to let you know how much I appreciate the great effort you’ve been making as well as your hard work. Learning a language is not an easy task. There may have been moments of frustration along the way. However, I want you to remember that progress is not always measured by perfection (PASS). Each step forward, no matter how small, is a significant achievement. Embrace your mistakes as opportunities to improve and keep pushing forward. It is through effort and perseverance that you will get better and reach higher levels of proficiency.
Results could have been demoralizing for some of you despite your heroic efforts to learn. Sometimes it was really difficult to catch up…. Please know that every decision I made was with your best interests at heart, and I hope it has helped you on your language learning journey. I remind you that “training courses” (“cursos complementarios”) could be a good option for you next year as well as “refreshment courses”(“cursos de actualización) You shouldn’t give up.
As your teacher, I feel proud of you , “you passed the test with flying colours” no matter what the final results were (pass or fail), as long as you think that you learned something, are taking steps forward and did not waste your time . I hope to have made the right decisions, anyway…. Despite the difficulties I DID enjoy teaching YOU and it means a lot to me to know that you also enjoyed my classes and appreciate my effort. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach and guide you… I’m sure I’ll miss you.
Enjoy your summer, you deserve it and good luck ( for those taking further exams)!!
CARMEN
ORAL/ WRITTEN MEDIATION (2B1)
As I told you this morning, you can try some of the mediation exercises I used in your tests in May. This could be useful to prepare CERTIFICACIÓN.
READING COMPREHENSION (CLOZE TEST) 2B1
This morning I talked to some of you taking “certificación” (PUC) about this kind of READING COMPREHENSION in exams last year. See if you can try it to give extra practice.
RAFA NADAL (image Pixabay)
Read this text about Rafa Nadal and fill each gap (1-15) with the most suitable word (A-X). There are 9 extra words and each word cannot be used more than once.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal is one of the best sportsmen _______________(1) the world. He is _______________(2) as the “King of Clay” on the tennis _______________(3). He was born _______________(4) 3rd May 1986 on the island of Mallorca. From an early age he showed extreme sporting ability in _______________(5) sports, but especially in tennis. His uncle Toni, _______________(6) former professional footballer, introduced him to tennis from the age of three and _______________(7) him to play lef-handed. It wasn’t long before the titles started rolling in. All of his talent could have been wasted due to his refusal to move from his island home. _______________(8) this meant limited funding, he managed to get by. Toni stopped _______________(9) his coach in 2017 because he was _______________(10) exhausted of travelling.
Nadal has recently considered _______________(11) goodbye to tennis After the loss of his French Open title in June 2022 , he was forced to spend six months away from the tour and wasn’t able to practise as a consequence of a foot injury which he has suffered _______________(12) childhood.
The Spaniard is one of the _______________(13) successful tennis players of all time. Nadal has already _______________(14) 86 career titles including Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open. Tomorrow he will be able to break the record by getting his 21st Grand Slam as he is just one win away from overtaking his main _______________(15) : Djokovic.
| A MANY | B THE | C ALTHOUGH | D VERY |
| E SINCE | F COURTS | G TO BE | H TEACH |
| I MOST | J WON | K IN | L ON |
| M LOTS | N REFEREE | O TAUGHT | P ABSOLUTELY |
| Q KNOWN | R HOWEVER | S SAYING | T WINNING |
| U OPPONENT | V A | W FAMOUS | X BEING |
QUESTIONS TAGS (2B1)
THIS IS MAN WHO / THAT FOUNDED APPLE COMPUTERS AND CREATED THE IPHONE….. STEVE JOBS IS AN ICON OF OUR TIME, ISN´T HE?
THIS IS A QUESTION TAG
https://www.woodwardenglish.com/questions-tags/
TRY THIS BOARD GAME
LET´S GO GREEN (2B1)
ORAL MEDIATION PRACTICE
It’s EARTH’S DAY and the head teacher at the school where you work has asked you to talk to teenagers about the importance of looking after our planet. Use the image below and prepare a short speech (1-1.30 minutes) which would be clear enough for your audience.
MODERN ICONS / IDOLS (2B1)
PHOTO: Pixabay
DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN? HE’S THE MAN WHO / THAT FOUNDED APPLE COMPUTERS AND CREATED THE IPHONE….. BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM?
STEVE JOBS (OPTIONAL MATERIAL)
SOME ICONIC PEOPLE DIE AND NEW ONES COME UP….THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN READ IN THE NEWS LAST YEAR….
Rising tennis star Carlos Alcaraz is first male Spaniard to win Miami Masters 1000
Photo by THINK SPAIN NEWS
MONOLOGUE : IDOLS / ICONS
- The person you most admire ( artists, sportspeople, celebrities….), dead or alive. Why?.
- Do you read about famous people in glossy magazines or follow them on Instagram? What is your opinion about this phenomenon?
- Describe someone you really respect.
- What do you admire most about yourself?
- If you could go back in time, who would you like to meet?
- If you were famous and powerful, what would you do to make the world a better place?
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO SENTENCES?
STEVE JOBS IS THE MAN WHO/ THAT FOUNDED APPLE COMPUTERS
STEVE JOBS, WHO FOUNDED APPLE COMPUTERS, DIED IN 2011
(HAVE A LOOK IN YOUR BOOK ON PAGE 222)
MODERN IDOLS AND ICONS (2B1)
DO YOU KNOW THIS GIRL? SHE´S THE ACTIVIST WHO / THAT IS FIGHTING AGAINST GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE …….. BUT HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HER? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1912/191215-greta-thunberg.html
MCARGOBE´S BLOG-ROOM 