THE END

The end of the Olympic Games has arrived. I hope you have enjoyed as mush as I did. Probably these will be the first ones you remember, so keep it in your memory and in your heart.

I have enjoyed all the sports, but basketball has been the best. If you watched the game today, you have watched the best game ever! A pity Spain couldn't make it.

So the balance is good, 18 medals for Spain and the winners in the medal ranking: 1st China, 2nd USA and 3rd Russia. Spain ended in the 14th position, not bad.

Try to enjoy the last days of August, go swimming, cycling, play computer games and have fun. Remember after that school is round the corner. And get ready for a new course.

ONE WORLD ONE DREAM

After our "Olympic games" at the end of the course, we have now the REAL THING. From August 8th to 24th we will see the best sports celebration. More than 4.000 million people will follow this event.

And, which is your favourite sport? Mine? I think you all know, BASKETBALL. I hope you enjoyed the game today aginst China and tomorrow the girls will try to beat the Czech Republic, although it is a very hard team.

So, my recommendation is that you don't lose track (perderse) of any of the sports (all of them are interesting) and try to learn more about the sports, teams and athletes in Beijing 2008.

Answer these questions if you dare (si te atreves)!

1. How many sports are there?

2. Which are the three countries with more medals? Which is the Spanish position in the ranking?

3. Go to athletes and find your favourite one, write down all the important data: date of birth, height and weight.
4. Have a look at the map of the Olympic games and find out where they play each sport.
5. Find out more about the Olympic mascots and write down its colours and characteristics.

ENJOY YOURSELVES WITH THE GAMES!

SAVE WATER!

How ecological are you? Do you save water at home? And at school or anywhere else?

We are 78% water and we need it to survive. We are contaminating the rivers and oceans and in many countries there is drought (sequía). Try to use the tips below to save water.

TIPS TO SAVE WATER

1. Take shorter showers
2. Don't flush the toilet unnecessarily.
3. Put a bottle of water in the fridge. It's better than letting it run to get it cold.
4. Don't take a shower for more than 5 minutes. You can use a sand clock to measure.
5. Turn off the water while you wash your teeth.
6. Don't use a hose to wash your bike or your parent's house. Use a bucket and sponge.
7. Collect the water from cooking you don't use to water the plants.
8. Recycle as much as you can. All the rubbish you put wrong in the bin goes to the rivers and oceans.

Now go to Water Sense and read more tips. Then try the game to check your knowledge. Check these words before you go to the site:

• To flush: tirar de la cadena
• To leak: gotear
• Drop: gota
• Flo (flow): corriente
• Tap: grifo
• Bucket: cubo
• Sponge: esponja
• Lawn: césped (American English)
• Hose: manguera
• To water: regar
• Sand: arena

AND THE WINNER IS... SPAIN!!!

Yesterday the Spanish football team finally made it and won against Germany. It was a very exciting and emotional match.

To learn more and practice your English go to Euro2008 and answer these questions (To do so, on the right, you will find four links: matches, teams, players and statistics. Click on each of them to look for the specific information):

1. Who was the MVP in the Final?
2. Who is Germany's number 16 and when and where was he born?
3. Who is Spain's number 4 and when and where was he born?
4. Who are the coaches (entrenadores)?
5. Who is the tallest player in the Euro2008? How tall is he?
6. Which were the four teams in Semifinals?
7. Which countries scored (marcaron) more goals? (Name 3).
8. Who is the top scorer (máximo goleador)?
9. Which were the four countries in group D?
10. Name at least 4 official sponsors (patrocinadores) of the Euro2008?

WHAT ABOUT READING?

In summer you have extra time. It's good to relax, to play computer games, do some sport... and why not reading? You can read in the beach or in the swimming pool or inside your house with the air conditioner if you don't like the sun! Apart from reading in Spanish, try to read soemthing in English as well. Here comes my recommendation:

"Braveheart", Penguin readers, Level 3.

Braveheart tells the story of Willian Wallace, a Scottish hero who in the year 1280 fought against the English for the Scottish independence. The book narrates his life, so you will find war, love, history and adventure.

After reading the book you can try to watch the film. It was broadcast in 1995 and it was a big success (one of my favourite films, as well).

And after this, if you want to know more about this story try to answer these questions on the Internet about the film:

• Write a summary of the plot (story in a film)?
• Who was the director and the main actor?
• An inaccuracy in a film is when something is not completely correct or exact. Write at least 2 inaccuracies in Braveheart.
• Who is the actress that plays Princess Isabelle?
• How much money did the film make worldwide?
• How many Oscars did it win? Name them.
• The word braveheart is a compound word: brave-heart. What's the meaning of the word? Use the dictionary.

If you still want to know more and find the truth about William Wallace check this site.

WE MADE IT!!!

We have finally finished school this year. Only some of you still have to take retake tests this week and then you have two and a half months to rest and have fun (in my case I still have to work a bit more...). It's been a hard year (my first at this school) but I think it's been a good one. We have all learned something and I hope you don't forget some of our classmates that will not continue here: Konstantina, Elisabet and Kostas are going back to Greece. I'm sure they're happy and at the same time sad to leave Spain behind. Also, Amador and Javier will change school. So, good luck for everyone and I hope you keep in touch.

My advice for the summer is to rest and at the same time don't forget your English. You can continue visiting my blog and try the activities I'll post and also practice with the on-line games you can find here. To do so, click on the "Other interesting sites" section and choose the one you prefer, you can find plenty of games and exercises here.

Keep visiting and post messages if you like. Good luck and see you in September!!!

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

PHIL COLLINS – ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

She calls out to the man on the street

'Sir, can you help me?

It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep,

Is there somewhere you can tell me?

'He walks on, doesn't look back

He pretends he can't hear her

Starts to whistle as he crosses the street

Seems embarrassed to be there

Oh think twice, it's another day for

You and me in paradise

Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,

You and me in paradise

She calls out to the man on the street

He can see she's been crying

She's got blisters on the soles of her feet

Can't walk but she's trying

Chorus

Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do

Oh lord, there must be something you can say

You can tell from the lines on her face

You can see that she's been there

Probably been moved on from every place

'Cause she didn't fit in there

Chorus

What do you think about the lyrics? The song talks about homeless people and hunger. It makes us think about the way we live our lives and to realize how lucky we all are to have a roof over our heads and food on a plate every day. There are many more people in the world having problems like these than what you can imagine. Let's now do some research and find out more about homeless people and hunger in the world. Use the links below to answer the questions (write them in your notebooks):

Homeless (Wikipedia)

1. What is the definition of the word "homeless"? Use the dictionary.
2. Write at least the causes of homelessness. Which one do you think is the worst? Why?
3. How many people are homeless in the world? How many are there in Europe?
4. The word homeless has different cultural perceptions depending on the country. In Spanish we have the word "sin techo" (person without a roof above). Write other 3 definitions and write the country they correspond to.
5. How many people were homeless in England in the 1930s?
6. Which is the last film made about homelessness? Name it and write the year.
7. Who wrote the song "Man on the street" about homeless people?

EXTRA EXERCISE: Now find out more about Phil Collins and the song. Answer these questions:

1. When was Phil Collins born? Where is he from?
2. When was the song published? What was its position in the hit lists of the U.K and U.S.A?
3. Watch the video here and write a short paragraph about your opinion and thoughts. What is the image that impacts you the most? Why?