Thursday 30

I hope you feel like writing today. I’d like to tell you a bit about this image. To be honest, I found it hard to choose a special picture. This is because there are so many pictures I like and they are in so many different contexts. I decided to go for something nice and simple. I took this picture in July 2010. I was on holiday and my husband and I woke up at around 6 and decided to go for a walk. We walked from the place where we were staying to the next village around. The village was really funny because it was basically three houses and a post office. Anyway, everything was closed because it was so early. We took a lot of pictures of the sun rising. It was a beautiful moment. I’ll tell you why I like this photo in particular. It is a very simple picture but what I like about it, is the fact that it turned out just as I saw it on that morning. The light, the colors, the shadows, everything is exactly the way it was in my mind.

I love the way the sunlight hits the misty hills and you can see hills and more hills and more hills in the background. The image actually reminds me of the cover of a book I really enjoyed called “Ghostwritten” by David Mitchell. The nicest thing I can think of is that I had a lovely walk on a beautiful summer morning, breathing fresh air with someone I love.

Write about a special photograph you took or appear in.

Say: Who took it- What it shows- When it was taken- Why you like it

Upload it too!

Include any other information you'd like to mention.
Write a minimum of 180 words and write 3 comments on 3 blogs where you did not comment last week.

Dear students,
I am sorry nobody was punctual today. I walked past classroom 22 at around 12 and waited in the usual classroom on the fourth floor. I understand the classroom change was made weeks ago.
Please make sure you post on the blog. I am now at torre 15 therefore, cannot make it at 14:30. I will upload material on U cursos.
Regards,

Thursday 23

Today, we will choose a light topic to make your life easier. Please remember last week I published the marking criteria for the blog and some listening websites.

When I was younger, I loved to go out clubbing or to parties. However, in recent years I tend to go out to eat rather than to dance. Santiago has some great restaurants and you can eat out quite cheaply. There are "picadas" like Golfo di Napoli for wonderful pizza or pasta or slightly more expensive places with wonderful International cuisine like Thai House or Olan (Peruvian). I am a Pescatarian, I eat fish and seafood but not meat (of other kind) so that is always a factor when I eat out.

I don’t think I have a favorite kind of food. There are some foods that I do not like much, for example Korean food. I suppose it is because the meat dishes are the specialty. I love very hot food, lots of spices and taste. There is a nice Indian in Santiago. It is a bit pricy but it is really nice.  It is called Rishtedar . Many of the dishes are spicy hot and there is a scale of spiciness from 1 to 6 (from mild to blow-your-head-off). I love spicy food but grade 4 is as hot as I can stand.

I also love places like “el naturista” in the center, where you can enjoy porotos Granados or fantastic quinoa dishes for a very reasonable price.

Write about somewhere you like to eat out or a place you enjoy going to.

 Say:

What it’s called,

Where it is,

What it serves,

What you like to eat there.

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 175 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

Oral presentation

Dear students,

Please remember on May 7th you will have to give an individual oral presentation.

This should be on a career- related topic and should last from 3.30 to 4 minutes.

Remember this is not a reading test. You need to have command of the topic.

Kind regards,

Beatriz

Listening sites

www.plataforma.uchile.cl

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch

http://elt.oup.com/student/headway/preint/f_everydayenglish/hwy_pre_dialogue08?cc=cl&selLanguage=en

http://elt.oup.com/student/headway/preint/f_everydayenglish/hwy_pre_dialogue01?cc=cl&selLanguage=en

http://www.elllo.org/

http://www.esl-lab.com/

Blog mark

Hello everybody,

About the marking for the blog activities.

When you come to class and do the post and comments in class, you get 2 points.

When you don’t come to class and do the post and comments within 48 hours, you get 1 point.

No post, no points.

The final mark for the blog consists of two marks.

1 mark for “coming to class and do the blog post and comments in class”

1 mark for 3 particular blog posts. These will be selected and marked considering linguistic aspects.

mark 1 (50%) + mark 2(50%) = final blog mark

Let’s start!

Dont forget the comments on your classmates' blogs count as part of the task. You get the points or not.
Thanks

Remember the oral presentation

It is scheduled for May 9.
It is a 3:30 to 4:00 min presentation on a career related topic.

Cheers!

Free topic

Hi guys,
Since today is a special day, I thought maybe some of you would like to express your views on a topic in particular( demonstrations, educational reform, etc). However, for some students this is not an easy task. For this reason, I will ask you please to look at the sample I wrote in case you just want to follow instructions. If you write a free text, please remember to give it some structure and respect the minimum number of words. Remember Saturday 18 midday. Thanks a lot.

something you'd like to learn

There are lots of things I would love to learn to do. However, to be realistic, some of them would be too complicated. For example, I’d love to learn to play the flute but you need a lot of time and dedication to become a competent musician and I don’t think it would be a feasible instrument to learn at this stage of my life. One thing that I would like to learn well would be to play the guitar. I can play basic stuff and I know some chords but I'd like to be able to play any old song nicely and in rythm. I I just wish I wanted it more so I devoted more time to it and improved. I feel and been told I am good. I took singing lessons for some time and made no progress whatsoever, so even though I'd like to sing better, I have little hope. It is all related to my lack of commitment, I suppose. Work and studies really take most of my time and I cannot seem to find time for pleasurable activities more than, watching movies and socialize at the weekends.  Another thing I'd like to learn is more about the mother of all sciences =philosophy (This would help me with my studies!). It is also the kind of thing I don't think I find the time to do. Finally, Improving my pc skills and dancing salsa is also on my list but I think I am one of the stiffest people ever:(
Last but not least, I really think this life is a constant learning experience. In everything we do, interaction we have, we have something to take with us. I love that.

Write about yourself.
Is there something in particular you would like to learn?
Is there something you started learning and stopped that you would like to pursue?
Tell us about your interest!
write a minimum of 170 words plus 3 comments on blogs where you have not commented before and 1 anywhere you like.

verbs in the past

April 9

Dear bloggers,

This week I'd like you to write about an ambition you have for the future. It could be a trip you would like to make, a sport you would like to try, a person you would like to meet or a job you would like to do. It could be almost anything!

Personally, I have more than one ambition. One of them has to do with travelling. I have been very lucky and travelled a fair bit in Latin America and Europe. However, I’d love to visit Asia and India in particular I am a sensitive person so I know poverty and injustice would shock me and make me sad, but it is the rich culture which has inspired me lots. I would like to learn about Ayurveda medicine but I am also very interested in meditation so I’d love to maybe join a Zen Buddhist temple for some time. I think doing this would bring me peace of mind and personal happiness. This is not an easy goal to achieve but I have hopes that one day, I will do it.  

 I think a lot of things have inspired me, in particular, the readings by “Osho” and also a friend of mine who, in my opinion has found the perfect spiritual balance through meditation.

Write about an ambition you have.

Say:

What your ambition is,

Why you would like to achieve this ambition,

Who or what inspired your ambition,

What it would mean to you to fulfill your ambition.

Write at least 160 words. Leave a comment on at least 4 blogs.