Learn Phonetics!

I've found this amazing INTERACTIVE Phonemic chart with all the English phonemes on the British Council webpage. The chart includes all the phonetics divided into three groups: vowels, diphthongs and consonants. By clicking the arrow in each square, you get three words as examples, and by clicking on the words given, you get the pronunciation of the word.

* Click on image to view and use the chart

In addition, you can download the chart FOR FREE and use it on your computer. You'll just need to have Adobe Flash Player installed and... that's it. Get ready to improve your pronunciation and learn the English phonetic symbols. This tool will come in really handy when learning how to pronounce words and to understand the phonetics of the new words that you look up in dictionaries.
 Enjoy! :)

Sandwiches, by Lucía Martínez Rodríguez (4º A ESO)

Why are sandwiches called sandwiches? To know the origin of its name, we have to go back in time to the 18th century, to a small southern city in England, called Sandwich.

John Montangu was the Earl of Sandwich, and he had a strong problem with card games and money. Once, he was playing a game for a whole day, and in a couple of hands, he started losing almost all his fortune. Later, his servants told him that the lunch was ready. Although the Earl was feeling pretty hungry, he was so concentrated on the cards game, trying to recover his money, that he refused to stop and have a break to eat. His servants and the cook, worried about the situation, looked for a solution. The Earl shouldn't do without lunch! It was their duty to serve and feed him.

After a long time, they came up with an idea. The cook carved the meat and put it between two slices of bread.
The players and the Earl were astonished when the servants came over with the new meal! They were eating a tasty roast beef with their own hands and with no cutlery. That way, they were able to have a very quick meal without stopping playing cards for lunch.
And that's why sandwiches are called this way, because of the Earl of Sandwich.

Nowadays, sandwiches are one of the most eaten meals, especially in Great Britain, and definitely the first fast food meal ever made.

Saint Andrew's Day (Scotland)

Every November the 30th all Scottish around the world celebrate Saint Andrew's Day, which is Scotland's official national day. This day is considered in Scotland as an official flag day and it's also a bank holiday there. The Scottish Government established that on this date the flag of Scotland, called the Saltire or Saint Andrew's Cross, should fly high on all Scottish buildings and balconies.

Saint Andrew was one of Jesus's original disciples, the brother of Simon Peter and a fisherman by trade, who lived in Israel. After Jesus's crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, Andrew travelled widely in Greece and Asia Minor, preaching and spreading the word of God. He was finally caught by the Roman authorities, who were trying to stamp out the new Christian religion, and he was crucified on a diagonal cross. 300 years later, his bones were taken by ship to Scotland and that's the reason why a white diagonal cross over a blue background became the official national flag. Another widely regarded emblem of Scotland is the thistle, a typical inland and very prickly flower.

In Scotland and in many countries with Scottish connections (the USA or Ireland for example), St Andrew's Day is celebrated with Scottish cultural events in schools and all across the country including traditional Scottish food, parades, bagpipe music and dance. In Edinburgh, the capital city, there is a week of celebrations, concentrating on musical entertainment and traditional ceilidh dancing.

Biology Project: Cells, by Clara Montalbán Peñalver (3º A ESO)

Maths Project: Fibonacci, by Iván Alarcón Quintana (2º A ESO)

Maths Project: Gauss, by Enrique Rubio Martínez (2º B ESO)

Nelson Mandela's quote in class 2º C ESO

The students in 2º C ESO, prompted and motivated by their tutor Mª Ángeles Abellán Rosillo, decided to design and stick on the wall this famous quote by human rights activist Nelson Mandela.

The South African activist and former president Nelson Mandela (1918-) helped bring an end to apartheid and has been a global advocate for human rights. He was a leader against the white minority’s oppressive regime in a racially divided South Africa. His actions landed him in prison for nearly three decades and made him the face of the antiapartheid movement both within his country and internationally.

Released in 1990, he participated in the eradication of apartheid and in 1994 became the first black president of South Africa. Mandela retired in 1999, but he has remained a devoted champion for peace and social justice in his own nation and around the world.

Maths Test 4º ESO, by Tomás J. Orta Carrasco (Maths teacher)

Teenage Fashion, by Claudia Sabín Lozano (3º C ESO)

For most teenagers our look is very important and in many cases it is a way to define our personality. That's why fashion and the new trends are very important for us. Girls between the ages of 15 and 20 dress differently from mothers or women over 20. I wouldn’t dress like my mum because I think her taste for clothes is old-fashioned!

I am 14 years old now and, as you may already know, 14 year-olds never accept their parents advice. We need to express ourselves through fashion and we get upset if we are told what to do or wear. We usually dress wearing jeans, sweatshirts, sandals, short-sleeved shirts, jerseys, t-shirts, converse and vans sneakers or sandals. This year the colours that are on fashion are green, coral and black.

When we are 16 years old we all like to dress well to look and feel beautiful and to impress our friends, but when we are about 18 or 20, we start wearing high-heeled shoes, dresses, handbags, jewellery, etc. Most of us like brand names like Chanel, Bimba & Lola and Carolina Herrera, all of which are quite expensive but, you know, we like to look all the rage and cool!

Claudia Sabín Lozano, 3º C ESO

School Trip! by Daniel Conesa Fernández (2º A Bachiller)

Every year, on the second grade of bachiller, we have a school trip to Italy and we stay there for around a week. The trip is a bit expensive as it includes the flight ticket, the hotels, the meals, the coach and, on top of that, the money you spend as a tourist. But all in all, I honestly think it’s really worth the money.
The first day is really exciting. You are in the bus with your classmates on your way to Valencia’s Airport knowing that the next week is definitely going to be the best week of the year. For some people, it was their first time on a plane, and they felt quite nervous…
Well, on the trip you can visit the cities of Pisa, Florence, San Gimignano, Sienna, Assisi, the town of Spoleto and finally Rome!

Pisa is cool and there you can take some very funny photos at the Leaning Tower. But in my opinion, it’s the worst city on the trip. I think Florence is the most beautiful and fascinating place, it’s like a city-museum. There are lots of sculptures in the streets and the renaissance architecture is amazing. San Gimignano is a beautiful and small medieval town in the Tuscany. There you have spectacular views of the typical Tuscan countryside. Next you visit Sienna with its fascinating architecture and the famous Piazza del Campo. The cathedral is also breathtaking… Then you travel to the city of Assisi, which is divided in two: the old Assisi and the new Assisi. We enjoyed the medieval constructions and learnt about our dear San Francis of Assissi’s hometown. 

The trip had some improvised visits, one of them was the town of Spoleto… But, you know, the best part of the trip is the visit to the city of Rome. You stay there for three days. In Rome be ready to have long walks through the city visiting the most important spots. It is absolutely exhausting! Luckily, the beauty of its monuments is worth the effort: the Fontana di Trevi, the Colosseum or Saint Peter’s cathedral are simply unforgettable!

The girls especially loved the shops along Vía del Corso, with the most important fashion design brands. But if shopping, make sure to visit the market of San Lorenzo in Florence!

In conclusion, if you have the chance to go on this school trip, you will surely have one of your best trips ever and will fall in love with the spectacular Italian landmarks.

Daniel Conesa Fernández, 2º A Bachiller

Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind (Lyrics)

Tautianos, by Arturo Durán Gil (3º C ESO)

Hi there! I’m one of the members of the school team called Tautianos.
It’s a science and technology school project made with Lego construction sets that began two years ago. We took part in a competition called First Lego League in Murcia with other schools. Our project was based on robotics so we designed and created a robot that did different tasks by itself. We programmed the tasks on the laptop and, in my opinion, it was the fun part! The rest was basically the science project about it.

We participated in the competition of the Region de Murcia but on the first year we only won a Prize for Promising Youngsters. On the second year, we won in the Region de Murcia competition and, as a result, we could travel to Tarragona for the national.

The trip to Tarragona was horrible, though. We rented a minibus and we spent eight hours to go and other eight to return. The minibus made a really annoying noise! The level there was much higher and we finished 18th out of 32 participants. It was not bad after all. However, we managed to win a huge prize! The prize in the category for the Best Science Project in Spain. It was absolutely awesome!

All in all, the experience was great and this year we are presenting a new project again. I hope we can do better this time!

http://tautianos.blogspot.com.es/

Arturo Durán Gil, 3ºC ESO

Andalusian Freshwater Life, by José Antonio Rodríguez (Biology Teacher)

Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (Lyrics)

Remembrance Day

Each year in November, the United Kingdom remembers the British men and women who gave their lives in the two World Wars and other subsequent armed conflicts. For this reason, the 11th of November is known as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday or Poppy Day. The Field Poppy is a red flower that used to germinate and grow in the central European battlefields and, since then, it has been taken as the symbol for the fallen at war.

During the First World War, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Armistice was signed after more than four years of continuous deadly warfare. In many parts of the world, most schools, factories, shops, offices, public buildings etc. grant a two-minute silence at 11:00 am on 11th November. Traditionally, special events, church services and many military parades to honour the fallen are held throughout the UK on the second Sunday of November, which is the nearest Sunday to the 11th day.

Events and celebrations like this consolidate and strengthen the identity, unity and the historical heritage of the country and give honour to the millions of patriots who fought for a better world. It also teaches children about the miseries and sacrifice undergone by a whole nation in order to achieve freedom and welfare.

This year, Remembrance Sunday is held on the 10th of November, 2013.

Passenger - Let Her Go (Lyrics)

Top 10 Most Read Books

All of us love to read a good book, but could you name the 10 most read books in the world? Over the last half century, hundreds of thousands of books have been produced, but only a select few have become the most popular and most read books in the world. Here you will discover some of the greatest pieces of literary work by highly talented authors.

According to American novelist and publisher James Chapman, this is the ultimate list of the 10 most read books in the world over the last 50 years. The figures show the number of books printed and sold but does not take into account multiple readings of the same book. Mr Chapman compiled this list after completing a long project of research. He consulted best-selling charts and publishing data worldwide, mostly among books translated in different languages. Come on, take a look!

Number 10: Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank
Number 9: Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
Number 8: Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
Number 7: Twilight - The Saga, by Stephenie Meyer
Number 6: The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown
Number 5: The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Number 4: Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
Number 3: Harry Potter - The Saga, by J. K. Rowling
Number 2: Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-tung, by Mao Tse-tung
Number 1: The Holy Bible

I must admit some of the titles shown in the list were absolutely unspected, and others were quite evident. However, I believe a few books here are still missing, such as the Holy Quran (the Muslim Bible), The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet, or Don Quixote, by Cervantes. What do you think of the list?