Hi =)


I haven't been here in absolute ages. I don't know why I stopped when I loved it, but it happened! Maybe I just had too many things on my plate...
Anyway, I'm back (I hope) in this time of quarantine, to bring you some suggestions for you to keep learning English.
There are games, videos, news, explanations, and exercises. I'm quite sure you'll be able to find something to your liking =)

Give it a go, why don't you ;D

Created with Padlet

Something about argumentative texts...

https://activetextbook.com/active_textbooks/9875#page1

A writing challenge!

Writing should be fun. 
I never tire of saying this. It should be as much fun as reading is. But when we write, and for it to be fun, we have to have fun too while doing it. That's what I believe in and that's what I try to do in my classes. 
So, this week, I gave my 10th graders an assignment: they had to write a story using a set of words I had randomly given out. (They are either in bold or underlined here). It was group work, so they had to be able to listen to eachother and negociate content and context.

These are some of the stories written by the 10th AV1. Enjoy! 

Mauro and Isabel Sanchéz were a spanish couple that came from poor families. At the age of fifty they felt the need to emigrate because in Spain they didn't have economic stability and were afraid to live in misery.

After fifteen years living in France, they had a tragic car accident there and, unfortunately, Isabel couldn't survive.

As he was completely in love with his wife, the old man felt that his life had lost all sense and spent his days crying. Mauro became depressed and stopped caring about everything. He fired up and looked miserable.

He grew his beard and used the same clothes and an old ripped cap every day.

Mr. Sanchéz missed Isabel so much that he had the need to talk with her about his feelings. One day, he grabbed a paper and a pencil and started writing. He wrote mostly about fear... Fear of never see her again, once he believed in other life after death.

Usually, he felt better after writing to his wife.

Mauro didn't want any other women in his life... He became so sick that he was counting the days without her on a black board! Some of his friends were really worried with him, but he always wanted to be alone, counting the days passing and writing love cards on a piece of paper.

(by Ana, Andreia and Beatriz)

Dear diary,

I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I've been a little busy with all my school work and then chores that my mom keeps telling me to do. I seriously hate doing them, I simply just want to lay in bed and watch netflix all day.

I just remembered the most shocking thing that I've seen in my entire life! It happened yesterday while I was doing the dishes; I glanced out the window and I noticed my neighbours chillin' on their front yard, eating breakfast. I don't know how it happened, I just saw their table hitting the floor and their milk and their pancakes were all over them! It was hilarious! While they were cleaning up the mess they'd done, I watched a man all dressed in black, holding a knife, going towards them. I couldn't say a word! I was appalled! That stranger killed those innocent people and after that he screamed "Peace"! Can you believe it? How can peace be such an awful thing? I immediately called the police and told them what had happened so that man can be arrested for what he's done!

My mom is calling me to dinner,

I'll write to you soon again.

xo Gigi

(by Beatriz, Matilde and Rita)

6-word stories or short story beginnings...

OK, so I found a list of 6-word stories on the web and I loved them. Next thing I knew I was thinking of how to use this for a lesson.

The plan I came up with was to give the list to my students as FIRST SENTENCES for their new stories. 

You see, they always complain they don't know how to start their texts!

I had a wonderful time with this and I hope they did too,  because it somehow seems wrong for the teacher to be having all the fun, doesn't it? =D

Here is Ana Francisca and Francisca Pereira's short short story. That ending...

He brought roses home. Keys didn't fit. He didn't understand what was going on.

He went on a 5-day roadtrip with his crazy friends around California without their ladies. Obsiously they got angry.

During the journey they swam in the cleanest and most limpid waters, paddle surfed and saw sharks too. They drove along the longest roads and highways and to complete the journey they went to different discos every single night. 

In the last night, when they got back, they partied as always and got a little bit drunk. He had a flashback of his girlfriend and decided to surprise her.

He brought her fifty roses. When he got to the house the keys didn't fit! He rang the bell. An unkept-haired old woman opened the door. Ups...wrong door!

This is Margarida Novais. She comes in a bit strong but it's awesome writing =)

Jumped. Then I changed my mind. I thought I was dying . I had flashbacks of Josh going through my mind. And then it clicked. He was gone. We were free. I opened my eyes and laughed. Laughed like I’d never laughed before. I was free.

  I was five years old when my mom introduced Josh to us. First it was a dinner, a few months later, he moved in. I and my brother didn’t mind. He seemed nice, at first. He didn't have any children and my father had never been around so I think he wanted to play that part. And he did, until he started to drink at 10 a.m.. He was fired, so my mom worked to support all four of us. She was gone a big part of the day so she didn't notice him yelling at us for no reason and at one point hitting us. The first time he slapped me I was 7. I hated him. I hated him more when, once, I was upstairs, in my bedroom and he called my name, but I pretended I wasn't listening. He had never been very patient, so he came to my room, he opened the door, and he kicked me. I fell down the stairs. I think that was when my fear peaked. I was afraid of everything that involved being high above the ground. And yes, I was even afraid of stairs at first. This went on for a few years. He died when I was 12.

Ângela Marques went to space =)

Voyager still transmitted. Earth didn’t. They were all dead. Everything has been such a huge mess on Earth. A very contagious virus was infecting everyone and Ashton had as mission getting to know if Mars was ready to receive the healthy humans.

It had been a bumpy trip. It was the oldest space ship NASA had. He had a long journey ahead and nobody was answering his communication. He could save himself but he could not save everyone else.

BECAUSE or SO?