A little Brit of us

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T16:45:00.002+01:00

Third Year

Cari ragazzi e ragazze,
oggi è il Martin Luther King Day, giorno in cui gli Stati Uniti ricordano il famoso leader per i diritti civili e premio nobel per la pace (a soli 35 anni).
Cliccando qui troverete una splendida striscia di fumetti dedicata a King.
Aggiungo a questo post i precedenti contributi del nostro blog dedicati al reverendo King:

MLK DAY - L'America ricorda il reverendo Martin Luther King

I HAVE A DREAM - Martin Luther King's most famous speech

A tribute to Martin Luther King

A day of service, un giorno di impegno civile

Per chi volesse approfondire ulteriormente, consiglio di visitare il blog di Larry Ferlazzo. Qui troverete una ricchissima lista di risorse su Martin Luther King Jr. nel posto intitolato:

The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!

2011-12-31T12:10:00.004+01:00

"Auld Lang Syne" is a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many English-speaking (and other) countries and is often sung to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight.

By extension, its use has also become common at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions.

The song's Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long long ago", "days gone by" or "old times". Consequently "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, is loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times".

click on the piper to enter the castle

Marry the night

2011-12-20T17:00:00.003+01:00

Hi girls! Here are the videos you requested! Enjoy...

Hello - Lionel Richie

2011-12-04T08:25:00.001+01:00

30th November - Saint Andrew's Day, the national day of Scotland

2011-11-26T15:00:00.093+01:00

Scottish accent

Here's the video transcript:

A long, long time ago in Galilee¹a fisherman² called Andrew spent his days fishing. One day he heard a man call out³ from the bank, “Follow me!” That man was Jesus of Nazareth and Andrew immediately lay down his nets⁴ and became one of the twelve Disciples.⁵

Andrew watched Jesus perform⁶ many miracles. It was Andrew who first spoke to the boy who offered to share his five loaves⁷ and two fishes with Jesus at the feeding of the five thousand.⁸ Jesus managed⁹ to feed all five thousand people from only the food the boy had shared.

After Jesus died Andrew preached¹⁰ Christianity throughout¹¹ Poland, Russia and Greece. It was in Greece that Andrew was crucified¹² on an X shaped cross¹³ as¹⁴ he thought himself¹⁵ unworthy¹⁶ of dying on an vertical cross like Jesus.

Time passed, a monk called Regulus, or Rule was watching over¹⁷ St Andrew’s bones.¹⁸ The story goes¹⁹ that an angel appeared to Rule and told him to take the relics²⁰ to the far West. The journey was long and arduous.²¹ Rule wasshipwrecked²² on the east coast of Scotland in the place where the town of St Andrews now stands.

Over the centuries St Andrew became important to the Scottish people. This is why the X shape of his cross, or saltire,²³ is part of the Scottish flag. St Andrew became the patron saint²⁴ of Scotland about a thousand years ago.

And St Andrew’s day continues to be celebrated on the 30th November each year.

1. GALILEE= The northern part of the ancient kingdom of Israel. In Jesus' times, Israel was divided by the Romans into 3 different territories: Galilee to the north, Judea to the south and Samaria between both.

2. FISHERMAN= A man whose job is fishing.

3. CALL OUT= To say something in a loud voice.

4. NETS= What fishermen use to capture fish.

5. DISCIPLES= A disciple is a person who follows a master to learn from him, not by studying, but by following him, observing his life and learning from his words. The Twelve Disciples are the most important men among Jesus' many disciples, the hardcore of His group, His closest friends, and later they became the leaders of Christians. Their leadership was passed down from generation to generation to what we call today "bishops" (a bishop is the leader of a local church and their church is called "cathedral").

6. PERFORM= Do, make.

7. LOAVES= plural form of a loaf of bread.

8. THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND= (feed= give food) One of Jesus most famous miracles. There were 5000 people sitting on the ground listening to Jesus preaching. They were men, women and children who had come from far and near. Late in the day, Jesus' disciples told Him to send the people away because they would be hungry. Instead Jesus told them to feed the crowd, so they began to look for food. The nearest population was far away, and looking around, all the disciples could find was a boy who had two fishes and five loaves of bread, but Jesus took them and multiplied them. The baskets with food would never empty so they could feed the entire multitude with that.

9. MANAGED= Was able to, could.

10. PREACH= Talk about religious or moral teachings.

11. THROUGHOUT= Throughout a place = everywhere in that place, all over the place.

12. CRUCIFIED= A Persian (and later Roman) most cruel way of execution where the person was nailed to a cross and left to die. Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. A representation of Jesus on the cross is called a "crucifix". Many people think "cross" and "crucifix" are interchangeable but if a cross has no Jesus on it, it's simply a "cross", not a "crucifix" (crucifix is a Latin word that means fixed to a cross, so it refers to the person nailed). See St Andrew's crucifixion.

13. AN X SHAPED CROSS= A cross in the shape of an X (Jesus' cross, as all crosses at the time, was + shaped).

14. AS...= Since, because.

15. HE THOUGHT HIMSELF= He considered himself..., he thought that he was...

16. UNWORTHY= Not good enough for something.

17. WATCHING OVER= Looking after.

18. BONES= The hard parts inside our body. Years after we die, the only parts that remain are the bones.

19. THE STORY GOES THAT...= This is what the legend says (but I don't know if it's true or not). When we use this phrase we mean that the information we are going to say is part of the story, not our personal information (we may believe it or not).

20. RELICS= The remains of a saint, usually their bones or any object used by them.

21. ARDUOUS= Difficult, demanding a great effort.

22. SHIPWRECKED= If you are shipwrecked, you are travelling by ship and the ship has an accident and sinks (goes under water).

23. SALTIRE= The heraldic name used for the image of two red bands crossed in the shape of an X. The saltire is St Andrew's symbol, that's why the Scottish flag is made up of a white saltire over a blue background.

24. PATRON SAINT= A saint is a person that was good and is now in heaven, but we usually use this word to refer to famous saints that everybody thinks were important role models for Christians. A nation, town, profession, problem, etc. was put under the special protection of one of these saints, so they are called the "patron saint" of that. For example, St George is the patron saint of England, St Anthony of Padua is the patron saint for people who are looking for somebody to marry, St Jude Thaddeus is the patron saint of the Chicago Police Department, St Lucy is the patron saint of those who are blind or those who want to keep a good sight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T15:18:00.009+01:00

RESOURCES: Michelle Henry

Larry Ferlazzo - The Best Sites To Learn & Teach About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving postcards & animations:

Simple Gifts - A peaceful Autumnal scene evolves to the accompanimentof a traditional Shaker tune

Homecoming - The carthorse brings in the harvest as the country folkgather to celebrate

Go to FONTSPACE for beautiful Thanksgiving fonts.

2011-11-19T11:56:00.000+01:00

Dear Aurora, Giulia and Kawtar,

here are the songs you requested.
I like them all especially the one by Lanny Kravitz (and the video is amazing too!).
I'll see you tomorrow!
A big hug to you girls!

2011-10-27T14:30:00.005+02:00

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep (bee, bee, pecora nera)

Have you any wool? (hai della lana?)

Yes sir, yes sir, (sì signore, sì signore)

Three bags full. (tre borse piene)

One for the master, (una per il padrone)

One for the dame, (una per la dama)

And one for the little boy (una per il ragazzino)

Who lives down the lane. (che vive in fondo al vicolo)

Videos for Giulia, Rita, Sara, Alessia & Sharon

2011-10-13T23:45:00.014+02:00

Here are some of the videos you requested, dear girls! Enjoy!

Clothes - Vocabulary

2011-10-10T19:24:00.037+02:00

Some useful links on CLOTHING ITEMS:

Interactive book - clothes and accessories

MEN'S CLOTHING - language guide.org (audio - Am.E.)

WOMEN'S CLOTHING - language guide.org (audio - Am.E.)

Study Zone - Common clothes words

exercise clothing 1 - exercise clothing 2

The visual Dictionary - CLOTHING

Merriam-Webster - VISUAL

The Internet Picture Dictionary (= flashcards + fill in the blanks + word scramble etc.)

Differences between Am.E. & Br.E. 1

Differences between Am.E. & Br.E. 2

CLOTHES - In the UK, we would be embarrassed if people saw our pants. Why?

Here you'll find some pictures on clothing vocabulary!

Per creare le seguenti schede in bianco e nero, ho utilizzato anche i magnifici disegni di midisegni.it

Songs and Spelling

2011-09-04T13:35:00.007+02:00

If you want to revise the alphabet before watching the videos, you can have a look here.

Enjoy!

Il suffisso -less

2011-09-01T13:39:00.035+02:00

Anche in inglese, come in italiano, molte parole si possono formare utilizzando dei suffissi oppure dei prefissi. Un esempio è –less, un suffisso che viene aggiunto al nome per formare una nuova parola. Questo suffisso è sinonimo di mancante, privo, sprovvisto e indica che qualcosa o qualcuno è privo della cosa a cui il nome si riferisce.

Mi spiego meglio: se partiamo dal nome home (casa) e aggiungiamo il suffisso –less otteniamo la parola homeless che indica qualcuno senza casa (in italiano di solito si usa il termine senzatetto).

Qualche aggettivo così composto è utilizzato anche in italiano. Pensiamo, ad esempio, a termini come cordless (telefono portatile o "senza filo"), wireless (senza cavo), topless (senza la parte superiore del costume), tubeless (senza camera d’aria).

Qui trovate una lista abbastanza esaustiva (con il significato del termine). Qui invece la lista (anche troppo completa dato che contiene circa 1500 parole!) proposta da Wikipedia.

fearless: coraggioso, senza paura (fear: paura)
topless: senza la parte superiore (top: alto, parte superiore)
homeless: senzatetto (home: casa)
childless: senza figli (child: bambino)
wireless: senza cavo (wire: cavo, filo elettrico)
colourless: incolore
odourless: inodore
tasteless: insapore, senza gusto, insipido (taste: gusto, sapore)
cloudless: senza nuvole (cloud: nuvola)
penniless: senza un penny, senza soldi, squattrinato, al verde
priceless: senza prezzo, inestimabile (price: prezzo)
careless: sbadato, disattento, imprudente (care: cura, attenzione)
cordless: senza filo (cord: corda, filo elettrico)

Il font (carattere) che ho usato per le foto è Yelly, di Carolina Mejia Villegas.

Help me help a friend!

2011-08-29T13:25:00.011+02:00

How about helping me help a friend? As easy as pie! Just click here and give your vote to Annarita Ruberto! Alternatively, you can use the link on the right menu.

Che ne dite di darmi una mano ad aiutare un’amica? Facilissimo! Basta cliccare qui e votare per Annarita Ruberto! In alternativa, cliccate sul link del menu di destra.

5 good reasons to give your vote to Annarita:

5 buone ragioni per votare Annarita:

1. As a teacher, blogger and contributor to the magazine Scuola & Didattica she does an excellent work.

Come insegnante, blogger e collaboratrice della rivista Scuola & Didattica svolge un eccellente lavoro.

2. Her blogs are great places for any Maths and Science enthusiast to learn more.

I suoi blog sono un luogo magnifico per ogni appassionato di matematica e scienze che desidera apprendere nuove cose.

3. She’s a committed teacher, concerned with all aspects of education. We all know how important it is to support our school system these days, especially when it is constantly being impoverished and threatened.

È un’insegnante impegnata e che si interessa dei vari aspetti legati all’istruzione. Sappiamo tutti quanto sia importante sostenere il nostro sistema scolastico oggi, specie quando sembra essere costantemente impoverito e minacciato.

4. Annarita knows the true meaning of collaboration and is always ready to give a helping hand. She’s very knowledgeable and yet extremely approachable and generous. She’s inspiring.

Annarita sa bene cosa vuol dire collaborare ed è sempre disponibile a offrire il suo aiuto. È molto competente e al tempo stesso estremamente disponibile e generosa. È fonte di ispirazione.

5. Last but not least, she’s my friend!

Ultimo ma non meno importante, è mia amica!

CLIL resources

2011-08-10T11:51:00.007+02:00

Segnalo una risorsa CLIL molto interessante, ARKive, un sito che raccoglie una enorme quantità di materiale (fotografico e video) sulle diverse specie viventi del nostro pianeta e che intende promuovere la conservazione delle specie a rischio di estinzione.
Vale davvero la pena esplorarlo anche se qui rimando in particolare alla sezione delle risorse per gli insegnanti. Gli argomenti sono davvero tanti e si possono scaricare materiali in diversi formati: Word, PPT, PDF ecc.
Molto bella anche la sezione ARKive GAMES, che contiene giochi e quiz.
Check it out!

Altro link utile, sempre sullo stesso tema, è Tree of Life, un vero e proprio "albero della vita" interattivo, molto chiaro e di facile utilizzo.

Per finire, ecco un video sulla biodiversità realizzato dalla Vancouver Film School.

Fonte: Zanichelli - spazio CLIL

A new English blog: Fun with English and more

2011-08-09T08:30:00.000+02:00

Sono felice di poter segnalare un blog dedicato alla Lingua inglese nato da pochi mesi grazie all’iniziativa della professoressa Chiara Sabatini. Fun with English and more è un buon esempio di come poter integrare la normale attività didattica con il lavoro online. Nel blog infatti si possono trovare numerosi link, video, immagini e molto altro materiale relativo sia alla parte strettamente linguistica che ad argomenti di cultura e civiltà.

Oltre a questo, va aggiunto che Chiara inserisce materiale fotografico dei lavori fatti in classe e video realizzati con i suoi studenti. Tutto ciò richiede naturalmente un impegno extra non indifferente da parte di un insegnante ma credo che sia una strategia molto utile per rendere il blog uno strumento di cui i ragazzi stessi sentono di essere, in qualche modo, creatori e protagonisti.

Vi invito ad esplorarlo, buona navigazione!

Great job Chiara!

The Story of Stuff

2011-08-08T17:53:00.006+02:00

Vi invito a guardare questo interessante video (fa parte di The Story of Stuff Project) e a provare la funzione CC attraverso l'icona che si trova in basso a destra.
Potete scegliere i sottotitoli in italiano o, se preferite, in inglese.
Enjoy!

Annie Leonard worked for Greenpeace International, GAIA, Health Care Without Harm, Global Greengrants, and Essential Information from 1988 – 2006. During this time, she travelled to over 35 countries, mostly visiting factories and dumps.
This travel, investigating toxic sites and talking with people in impacted communities, provided her with direct experience and massive empirical evidence on the issues covered in The Story of Stuff.

Cliccate qui o sull'immagine in basso per il testo del video (con note).

Prove INVALSI: gli studenti di Veneto e Friuli ottengono i risultati migliori

2011-08-03T14:03:00.003+02:00

Ci sono eccezioni, specie all'inizio della carriera scolastica, quando le abitudini della famiglia pesano più di quanto si impara in classe. In seconda elementare, ad esempio, i bambini più bravi in matematica sono quelli delle Marche e della Basilicata, mentre in italiano vanno forte quelli del Lazio e dell'Umbria. Ma poi - con il trascorrere degli anni, passando alle medie e alle superiori - i colori sulla cartina dell'Italia diventano definiti, netti, stabili. E i risultati migliori li raggiungono gli studenti di Veneto e Friuli Venezia Giulia, quelli peggiori i ragazzi siciliani e anche quelli della Calabria, dove probabilmente le pagelle andrebbero ritoccate al ribasso visto che «si riscontrano alcune evidenze di cheating», termine tecnico per indicare le copiature di massa. Ma se la classifica generale è sempre quella (Nord, poi il Centro, in fondo il Sud), dal Mezzogiorno arrivano segnali di recupero, soprattutto dalla Puglia ma anche da Abruzzo e Basilicata.

Cliccate qui per leggere il resto dell'articolo.
Vi segnalo la parola "cheating" (dal verbo "to cheat" che in questo contesto ha il significato di imbrogliare/copiare)

La scuola veneta alla prova - I perché di un risultato di eccellenza
Esiti della prova nazionale 2011

We will retaliate with more democracy

2011-07-25T08:00:00.024+02:00

My thoughts are with the people of Norway.

Words seem inadequate to express the mounting horror at the senseless actions of the deranged, psychotic man who took the lives of so many young people in the isle of Utoya.

I don’t even want to pronounce his name, I hope it will be soon forgotten and buried along with his hallucinated ideology. I gather he calls himself a Christian and a defender of Western values. Obviously, he is neither. He's nothing more than a man with a deeply disturbed mind.

Today, I feel the urge to quote Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister, who after the attacks stated: "We will retaliate with more democracy." A very admirable response to an insane act.

Il mio pensiero va al popolo norvegese.
Le parole sembrano inadeguate ad esprimere l'orrore crescente di fronte alle insensate azioni di questo squilibrato, uno psicopatico che ha spezzato così tante giovani vite nell'isola di Utoya.
Non voglio nemmeno pronunciare il suo nome, spero che tale nome venga presto dimenticato e sepolto insieme alla sua allucinata ideologia. Mi pare si definisca un cristiano e un difensore dei valori occidentali. Ovviamente non è nessuna delle due cose, è soltanto un uomo con una mente profondamente disturbata.
Oggi, mi preme soltanto ricordare le parole di Jens Stoltenberg, il Primo Ministro norvegese, il quale dopo gli attacchi ha affermato: "Reagiremo con più democrazia". Una risposta ammirevole di fronte a un gesto folle.

CNN's Richard Quest talks to Stine Renate Haheim about being at the youth camp when the rampage started.

Richard Quest: How do you tell the youth of Norway that revenge is not an option? That the only way forward is to continue [these] policies?
Because, frankly, you can almost hear the lynch mob saying "get him"
Stine Renate Haheim: Let me quote a good friend of mine who earlier today said: "If one man can create that much hate, you can only imagine how much love we as a togetherness can create. Violence creates violence, hate creates hate. That will not be a good solution. We will continue our fight with our beliefs and stay strong in the belief that we are doing that also to remember our loved ones.

Richard Quest: In che modo possiamo dire alla gioventù norvegese che la strada della vendetta non è praticabile? Che l'unico modo per andare avanti è proseguire con queste politiche?

Perché, francamente, sembra quasi di poter udire il rumoreggiare della folla che vuole linciare il colpevole.

Stine Renate Haheim: Mi permetta di citare un mio caro amico che oggi ha affermato: "Se un solo uomo è in grado di creare così tanto odio, immaginate quanto amore noi tutti insieme, come collettività, possiamo creare. La violenza crea altra violenza, l'odio genera odio. Tutto ciò non potrebbe rappresentare una buona soluzione. Noi continueremo la nostra lotta sorretti da ciò in cui crediamo e saremo forti nel convincimento che agiamo in tal modo anche per ricordare i nostri cari".

Precisazione: l’argomento di questo post esula dai contenuti solitamente trattati in questo blog. Si tratta tuttavia di un tema che può avere degli spunti educativi e formativi utili, tali da giustificarne la pubblicazione.

Don't Give Up On Me Now - Ben Harper

2011-07-18T19:27:00.000+02:00

Hi Kids!
Check out this video: you get the lyrics in English, French and Italian!
Super cool, I love it!

Last Friday Night - Katy Perry

2011-07-11T16:47:00.010+02:00

Studiare all'estero alle superiori. Boom di richieste per Cina e India

2011-07-01T12:57:00.004+02:00

MILANO – Hanno superato un complicato iter selettivo, perché «non tutti sono idonei per vivere un periodo di studio all'estero», dice Vincenzo Morlini, direttore esecutivo di Intercultura, una onlus gestita da migliaia di volontari e la mission già presente nel suo nome: favorire lo scambio culturale tra Paesi.

Una cinquantina di loro ha scelto la Cina, paese del presente e del futuro, con uno dei sistemi scolastici tra i migliori del mondo. Studieranno in diverse scuole secondarie di uno Stato-Continente, apprenderanno il mandarino, vivranno a stretto contatto con una famiglia dagli occhi a mandorla interiorizzando usi e costumi di un popolo così enigmatico. Altri, circa una ventina, hanno optato per l'India, la più grande democrazia del mondo e con un'istruzione scientifica all'avanguardia...

Clicca qui per leggere il resto dell'articolo

Questi i link per Intercultura: italiano, English

Il nostro blog su INNOVASCUOLA

2011-06-18T19:23:00.010+02:00

Hi kids!

I’m very pleased to announce that our little blog has been reviewed by INNOVASCUOLA.

I believe that’s something we can be proud of and it’s a good way to keep our blogging motivation alive!

A little Brit has been mentioned in the category “ESPERIENZE DI ENTI E DOCENTI.”

Check it out!

Happy Republic Day!

2011-06-02T08:00:00.003+02:00

Italy's Republic Day is celebrated on the second day of June and it commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when the Italian population was called to decide what form of government (monarchy or republic) to give to the country after World War II and the fall of Fascism.

After 85 years of monarchy, Italy became a Republic and the monarchs of the House of Savoy were deposed and exiled.

This is one of the most important Italian public holidays which, like July 14 in France and July 4 in the USA, celebrates the birth of the nation. A grand military parade is held in central Rome.
(Source: Wikipedia. See also: Birth of the Italian Republic).

Below you will find a number of interesting and, I hope, useful links about Italy.

Check them out and have fun! ;)

Italy for Kids
Enchanted Learning
TIME for kids - Around the World
National Geographic KIDS - People and Places
Country Reports
Fact Monster

A kid's life in... Italy
Life in Italy
CIA - The World fact book - Italy
Italy From The Inside - A Scoop of Real Italian Life for Travelers & Friends
Italy Guides - Virtual panoramas, photos and travel tips Festivals and Holidays

Veneto - Between earth and sky.

Videos for Giulia & Rita

2011-06-01T18:08:00.010+02:00

Hi there Giulia & Rita.
Here are the videos you requested and thanks a lot for your message!

Video per le classi prime

2011-05-31T15:26:00.020+02:00

First Year

Hi kids!

Here are the videos we saw this morning in the computer room...

ENJOY!

FONTS:
The girl next door
Love Ya Like a Sister

Esami di Stato - Novità per la seconda Lingua straniera

2011-05-29T09:15:00.000+02:00

ESAME DI STATO - terzo anno
Cari ragazzi,
come sapete nel nostro istituto si è deciso già da tempo di predisporre una prova scritta per la seconda Lingua straniera. Adesso il Ministero ribadisce l'opportunità di tale scelta e lo precisa in una circolare (C. M. n. 46 del 26 maggio 2011).
Ecco l'articolo del Corriere della Sera:
La notizia non farà piacere ai ragazzi che si preparano al ripassone finale degli ultimi giorni. Ma quest'anno, a sorpresa, l'esame di terza media avrà una prova scritta in più. Finora quelle obbligatorie erano quattro: italiano, inglese, matematica, più il test Invalsi, uguale per tutte le scuole. Adesso ci sarà anche lo scritto per la seconda lingua straniera, francese, spagnolo o tedesco a seconda dei casi. La novità arriva in zona Cesarini ed è contenuta nella circolare che il ministero dell'Istruzione ha appena inviato a tutti i presidi per spiegare nel dettaglio le modalità dell'esame...
Cliccate qui per leggere il resto dell'articolo.

AetnaScuola

Circolare ministeriale n. 49 del 20 maggio 2010, prot. n. 3976 - Valutazione degli alunni ed esame di Stato conclusivo del primo ciclo di istruzione (anno scolastico 2009/2010)

Nell'imminenza della chiusura dell'anno scolastico e dello svolgimento degli esami di Stato a conclusione del primo ciclo di istruzione, si richiama la CM n. 49 del 20 maggio 2010, che deve intendersi pertanto confermata anche per l'anno scolastico in corso.
È opportuno, tuttavia, fornire alcune precisazioni rispetto a quanto già stabilito dalla menzionata circolare, in ordine allo svolgimento delle prove scritte di lingue comunitarie, alle modalità di attribuzione del voto finale e alla certificazione di competenze.
Prove scritte delle lingue comunitarie...
Cliccate qui per leggere il resto dell'articolo.

Per Christian

2011-05-26T10:00:00.007+02:00

Stamattina la scuola si è stretta come in un abbraccio intorno al nostro Christian.

Le classi terze si sono fermate, la frenesia per la preparazione degli esami ha lasciato il posto al silenzio, alla commozione e al dolore.

Ti vogliamo bene Christian e ti siamo vicino.

Ti abbraccio forte forte,

la tua prof

Mappe di A little Brit

2011-05-23T22:58:00.008+02:00

Hi kids!
We've been working recently with a number of mind maps and other materials so I thought I could gather all these resources in one post! Hope it's useful!
These maps are quite handy if you want to prepare the conversation phase for the Trinity Examination (grade 4).

The lion sleeps tonight - video

2011-05-21T14:00:00.000+02:00

In the jungle, the mighty jungle

The lion sleeps tonight

In the jungle, the quiet jungle

The lion sleeps tonight

Near the village, the peaceful village

The lion sleeps tonight

Near the village, the quiet village

The lion sleeps tonight

Hush, my darling, don't fear, my darling

The lion sleeps tonight

Hush, my darling, don't fear, my darling

The lion sleeps tonight

Near the village, the peaceful village

The lion sleeps tonight

Near the village, the peaceful village

The lion sleeps tonight

My little darling

Don't fear, my little darling

My little darling

Don't fear, my little darling

Resource for ESL/EFL students

2011-05-20T20:57:00.000+02:00

Hi kids! Here's an interesting website full of useful resources! Check it out!

Presentazione con PREZI su Washington D.C.

2011-05-18T18:01:00.001+02:00

Third Year
Abbiamo visto la presentazione sulla città di Washington D.C. e oggi vi propongo una presentazione realizzata con PREZI. Si può passare da una foto all'altra o fare lo zoom avanti e indietro.
Check it out and have fun!

Washington D.C. on Prezi

My English Images

2011-05-15T12:11:00.006+02:00

Ciao ragazzi!
Segnalo oggi una splendida risorsa per studenti e insegnanti: un sito ricco di immagini molto simpatiche, utili per aiutarci a studiare meglio l'inglese. Si tratta di My English Images, curato da Michael Kloran, un insegnante di inglese (e grafico) originario di New York che lavora attualmente in Giappone.
Voi ragazzi delle classi prime riconoscerete subito la pagina di "Funny Faces" perché l'abbiamo usata proprio la settimana scorsa per ripassare le strutture e il lessico della descrizione fisica (e che disegni meravigliosi siete stati capaci di creare! Spero di avere tempo per fare qualche foto delle vostre splendide creazioni e pubblicarle nel blog!)

Check out these links too:

Blank faces

Huge sampling of 125 fun faces

Francesco e i giochi matematici

2011-05-11T23:00:00.002+02:00

Il nostro Francesco di terza C è - lasciatemelo dire - una piccola macchina da guerra.

A scuola ha vinto le elezioni, per cominciare, ed è attualmente il Sindaco del nostro Consiglio Comunale dei ragazzi.
Poi, tanto per gradire, si è piazzato al primo posto (a livello regionale) tra tutti gli studenti della scuola Secondaria di primo grado ai Giochi Matematici.
Stamattina, già che c'era, ha superato l'esame di Certificazione in Lingua inglese con la valutazione più alta sia nella parte relativa al topic che nella parte di conversazione. E l'argomento non era così leggero: Volcanoes and Earthquakes, niente di meno!
Sabato pomeriggio sarà a Milano, impegnato per la fase successiva dei giochi matematici.
Gli avevo promesso un post nel blog, ed eccomi qua:
I wish you good luck dear Francesco!
We'll all be thinking about you next Saturday!

Esami Certificazione Trinity College London

2011-05-11T22:07:00.000+02:00

Second Year
Congratulazioni a tutti e 43 i meravigliosi alunni delle classi seconde per aver superato con successo l'esame di certificazione! Grazie ragazzi e ragazze per aver seguito con costanza e impegno il corso pomeridiano e per aver partecipato sempre con tanto entusiasmo ed interesse! Fare questo pezzetto di strada insieme mi ha regalato tante emozioni e soddisfazioni! Ci siamo spesso molto divertiti e al tempo stesso abbiamo rafforzato e arricchito il nostro inglese!
Third Year
E congratulazioni ai "magnifici 14" delle classi terze che hanno saputo affrontare un esame certamente più impegnativo superando brillantemente ogni ostacolo e ottenendo delle valutazioni eccellenti!
Cari ragazzi, siete stati un team davvero speciale e con voi ho lavorato sempre con piacere. Alessandra, Chiara, Francesca, Francesco, Gioia, Giorgia, Giulia, Laura, Marta, Michela, Omar, Richard, Robert, Sofia: ognuno di voi ha saputo valorizzare il percorso fatto insieme e la vostra soddisfazione per aver superato questa prova è anche un po' la mia! Ho ammirato molto la vostra tenacia e lo spirito con cui avete affrontato tutto il percorso!
Un abbraccio forte!
La vostra prof!

Happy May Day

2011-05-01T13:46:00.011+02:00

The first May day celebration in Italy took place in 1890. It started initially as an attempt to celebrate workers' achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better social and economic conditions. It was abolished under the Fascist Regime and immediately restored after the Second World War. (During the fascist period, a "Holiday of the Italian labour" (Festa del lavoro italiano) was celebrated on the 21st of April, the date of Natale di Roma, when ancient Rome was allegedly founded.) Now, May Day is an important celebration in Italy. Very popular is the Concerto del Primo Maggio ("1 May's Concert"), organized by Italian Labour Unions in Rome in Piazza San Giovanni. It is attended by more than 300,000 people every year, and involves participation of many famous bands and songwriters. The concert is usually broadcasted live by Rai Tre.

In the United Kingdom in recent years, the anti-capitalist movement has organised a number of large protests in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Doncaster. In London, these have resulted in clashes with the police. In the last few years, demonstrations have been more peaceful, with marches and gatherings, particularly in central London. The current Conservative-led coalition government in March 2011 announced plans to move the May Day bank holiday to October in order to lengthen the tourist season. A London rally on May Day is organised by the London May Day Organising Committee (LMDOC).

Talking about sports - Sports vocabulary - Sports-related verbs (parlare di sport in inglese - lessico / vocabolario dello sport)

2011-04-30T14:30:00.002+02:00

Third Year

Hi kids!

Playing sports is not just for professional athletes. Everyone can enjoy the benefit of relaxing, burning off stress, and getting good exercise.

Swimming is very good for you. You use all 600 muscles when you swim but it is very relaxing, too. Young and old people can swim. All you need is a swimming costume and a pool or the sea. Some people also use goggles.

Rowing is very good for your back. It uses the back and muscles of the upper arm. It also uses your leg muscles. You need a boat to row and a big river or lake. It is a good sport for young people.

Jogging is slow running. You need good trainers. It is good for your leg muscles. It is cheap. You don’t need a special place. You can jog in the park.

Walking is good for you. It is a good sport for older people, too. You don’t need anything special to walk, just a good pair of shoes. Walking is very relaxing and it is good for you leg muscles. You can walk anywhere. Walking up stairs is more difficult.

As you know I have a passion for mind maps.

Here's a couple of new ones. I think they might turn out to be very useful for your Trinity Exam.

I used CmapTools to create the mind map.

The font for the title is 3dumb by Micheal Tension.

Check out these links too:

ESL Gold: Topic - Sports
Conversation quesations for the ESL students

ELS Flow

ESL lab

Michelle Henry

How do you measure things in sport?

How do you play / do these sports?

PLAY - DO - GO sports verbs

William and Kate - BBC full interview - Intervista e testo completo

2011-04-29T20:00:00.002+02:00

Hi kids! Did you enjoy watching the royal wedding? Pretty amazing huh?

In November 2010 William and Kate gave their first interview, soon after the announcement they were going to be married the following year. Speaking to journalist Tom Bradby they expressed their happiness at their engagement and spoke about their desire to become parents. Have a look at the full interview and read the transcript!

Click on the picture to see the video!

Tom Bradby: People are obviously very curious about you, so let's start with the obvious.

Prince William, where did you propose, when, how and Kate, what did you say?

William: It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya. We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time really. We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn't a massively big surprise. But... I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and... I proposed.

Miss Middleton It was very romantic (laughs). There's a true romantic in there.

TB: So you said yes, obviously?

Miss Middleton: Of course, yes.

TB: And you knew you were going to do this from day one of the holiday or you waited until the end?

William: I'd been planning it for a while but as any guy out there will know it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going, so... I was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful at the time. I had done a little bit of planning to show my romantic side.

TB: Kate, you'd been on holiday a while so did you see this coming, was he getting a bit nervous and jumpy?

Miss Middleton: No, not at all because we were out with friends and things so I really didn't expect it all.

I thought he might have maybe thought about it but no. It was a total shock when it came, and very excited.

TB: And produced a ring there and then?

Miss Middleton: Yes.

William: I did, yes. I had been carrying it around with me in my rucksack for about three weeks before that and I literally would not let it go, everywhere I went I was keeping hold of it because I knew this thing, if it disappeared I would be in a lot of trouble and because I'd planned it, it went fine. You hear a lot of horror stories about proposing and things going horribly wrong - it went really, really well and I was really pleased when she said yes.

TB: It's a family ring?

William: It is a family ring, yes. It's my mother's engagement ring so I thought it was quite nice because obviously she's not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all - this was my way of keeping her close to it all.

TB: I guess we better have a look at it. What kind of ring is it, are you an expert?

William: I'm not an expert. I've been reliably informed it's a sapphire with some diamonds. But I'm sure everyone recognises it from previous times.

Miss Middleton: It's beautiful.

TB: Kate, you're going to be the envy of many?

Miss Middleton: Well, I just hope I look after it. It's very, very special.

TB: It has to be said, you both look incredibly happy and relaxed.

William: We are. We're like sort of ducks, very calm on the surface with little feet going under the water. It's been really exciting. We've been talking about it for a long time so for us, it's a real relief and it's really nice to be able to tell everybody. Especially for the last two or three weeks it's been quite difficult not telling anyone, keeping it to ourselves for reasons we had to. And it's really nice to finally be able to share it with everyone.

TB: You obviously had kept it a secret. Did you ask Kate's dad and what did he say and what did your respective parents say when you told them?

William: Well, I was torn between asking Kate's dad first and then the realisation that he might actually say 'no' dawned upon me. So I thought if I ask Kate first then he can't really say no. So I did it that way round. I managed to speak to Mike soon after it happened really and then it sort of happened from there.

TB: Kate, what did your mum say?

Miss Middleton: I think as any mother would be she was absolutely over the moon. And actually we had quite an awkward situation because I knew and... I knew that William had asked my father but I didn't know if my mother knew. So I came back from Scotland and my mother didn't make it clear to me whether she knew or not... so both of us were there sort of looking at each other and feeling quite awkward about it. But it was amazing to tell her and obviously she was very happy for us.

TB: One of the things that has been clear for a long time is you very evidently have a close-knit family and family's very important to you.

Miss Middleton: Yes. It's very important to me. And I hope we will be able to have a happy family ourselves. Because they've been great over the years - helping me with difficult times. We see a lot of each other and they are very, very dear to me.

TB: People are bound to ask you know... children, do you want lots of children? See what comes? What's your...?

William: I think we'll take it one step at a time. We'll sort of get over the marriage first and then maybe look at the kids. But obviously we want a family so we'll have to start thinking about that.

TB: When did you first set eyes on each other and what did you think?

William: It's a long time ago now, Tom, I'm trying to wrack my brain about it all. We obviously met at university - at St Andrews we were friends for over a year first and it just sort of blossomed from then on. We just spent more time with each other had a good giggle, had lots of fun and realised we shared the same interests and just had a really good time.

She's got a really naughty sense of humour, which kind of helps me because I've got a really dry sense of humour, so it was good fun, we had a really good laugh and then things happened.

TB: Kate, what did you think of William. It's clearly not quite the same as meeting your average university student, or maybe it was, what was your first impression?

Miss Middleton: Well I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you. Actually William wasn't there for quite a bit of the time initially, he wasn't there for Freshers Week, so it did take a bit of time for us to get to know each other but we did become very close friends from quite early on.

TB: There's a story that goes around that you had a picture of him on your wall.

William: There wasn't just one, there was about 20.

Miss Middleton: He wishes. No, I had the Levis guy on my wall, not a picture of William, sorry.

William: It was me in Levis obviously.

TB: You ended up in the same flat, was that if you don't mind me asking, was before you were going out?

William: No we moved in together as friends because we were living together, we lived with a couple of others as well, it just sort of blossomed from there really. We just saw more of each other, hung out a bit more and did stuff.

TB: Does William ever cook or indeed do anything useful around the house?

William: Define useful, Tom.

TB: Let's not go there.

Miss Middleton: He did cook for me quite a bit at university, and it would always come with a bit of angst and a bit of anger if something had gone wrong and I would have to wander in and save something that was going.

TB: So being honest is that a skill that's declining over time or improving?

William: I would say I'm getting better at cooking. Kate would say I'm getting a lot worse.

Miss Middleton: I don't give him enough chance to practice.

William: No, that is true. I get quite lazy about cooking because when I come back from work it is the last thing I want to do, really is spend loads of time cooking. When I was trying to impress Kate I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners and what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch on fire and she would be sitting in the background just trying to help, and basically taking control of the whole situation, so I was quite glad she was there at the time.

TB: Slightly awkward for the other flatmates or ok?

William: No, to be honest they were used to it, watching things catching fire, they found it very amusing.

TB: But I mean having the two of you going out in the flat, or did they just not bat an eye lid?

William: I think at first they were a bit surprised that it had happened, then they realised it was really nice and it was good fun and we got on really well, they were good friends of ours as well so we had a good giggle with them as well.

TB: I suppose a lot of people are going to wonder, the first meeting with the families, again, not necessarily your average meeting. Kate what was your first impression of the family.

Miss Middleton: Well, I was quite nervous about meeting William's father, but no, he was very, very welcoming, very friendly, it couldn't have gone easier really for me.

TB: Meeting the grandmother, the Queen, again not your average meeting with a grandmother, were you nervous about that too?

Miss Middleton: Well I first met her at Peter and Autumn's wedding and again it was in amongst a lot of other guests and she was very friendly.

William: She was very welcoming, she knew it was a big day and everything was going on with Peter and Autumn, she had wanted to meet Kate for a while, so it was very nice for her to come over and say hello, we had a little chat and got on very well.

TB: You clearly are tremendously fond of each other's families and I'm guessing that is going to be a big part of your life going forward.

William: It definitely will, as you know, Kate's family, Kate's got a very, very close family. I get on really well with them and I'm very lucky that they've been so supportive. Mike and Carole have been really loving and caring and really fun and have been really welcoming towards me so I've felt really a part of the family and I hope that Kate's felt the same with my family.

TB: People are bound to ask, you leave university, you have been going out a bit and you split up, famously, all over the papers, what was all that about, people are bound to want to know.

William: Well I think to be honest, I wouldn't believe everything you read in the paper but in that particular instance we did split up for a bit. We were both very young, it was at university, we were both finding ourselves as such and being different characters and stuff, it was very much trying to find our own way and we were growing up, it was a bit of space and a bit of things like that and it worked out for the better.

Miss Middleton: I think at the time I wasn't very happy about it, but actually it made me a stronger person, you find out things about yourself that maybe you hadn't realised, I think you can get quite consumed by a relationship when you are younger and I really valued that time for me as well although I didn't think it at the time.

TB: It was a chance to re-centre yourself.

Miss Middleton: Yes, definitely, yes.

TB: Did you always have at the back of your minds that you wanted to marry each other. Did that come slowly or did you decide a couple of weeks ago, people have assumed you were going to be married for a long time. How did you both come to it in your heads?

William: When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her. I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there. But we ended up being friends for a while and that was a good foundation.

I do generally believe now that being friends with one another is a massive advantage. It just went from there. I knew over the years, I knew that things were getting better and better and we went through a few stumbling blocks as every relationship does, but we picked ourselves up and carried on. From were you had the odd problem when you are first getting to know each other, those have all gone and it is just really easy being with each other, it is really fun and I'm extremely funny and she loves that so it's been good.

TB: Kate, you were obviously upset when you split up but all your friends, both of your friends talk about there being a very substantial love that has built up over a period of time that's part friendship and more than that.

Miss Middleton: Well I think if you do go out with someone for quite a long time you do get to know each other very, very well, you go through the good times, you go through the bad times. Both personally and within a relationship as well. I think if you can come out of that stronger and learn things about yourself, it certainly, it's been a good how many years?

TB: He did take his time, it must be said, did you ever want him to come on...

Miss Middleton: We've had our conversations, but I think it was....

William: We've talked about today for a while, we've talked about this happening so Kate wasn't in the dark at all, we've planning it for at least a year if not longer, it was just finding the right time and that's what most people say about couples, it's just about timing.

I had my military career and I really wanted to concentrate on my flying and I couldn't have done this if I was till doing my training, so I've got that out of the way and Kate's in a good place in terms of work and were she wants to be and we both just decided now was a really good time.

TB: You are obviously going to enter this family, the most famous royal family in the world. William's mother was this massive iconic figure. The most famous figure of our age, is that worrying? Is that intimidating? Do you think about that a lot both of you, you particularly Kate, obviously?

Miss Middleton: Obviously I would have loved to have met her and she's obviously an inspirational woman to look up to. Obviously to this day and going forward and things, you know it is a wonderful family, the members who I've met have achieved a lot and very inspirational and so, yes, I do.

William: There's no pressure though. There's no pressure because like Kate said it is about carving your own future. No one is trying to fill my mother's shoes, what she did is fantastic. It's about making your own future and your own destiny and Kate will do a very good job of that.

TB: This is a life in the public domain to a degree that you can't escape, you both know that, you (William) obviously know it better than Kate does, you are obviously very protective of her.

William: Massively so. Her and her family, I want to make sure they have the best guidance and the chance to see what life has been like or what life is like in the family, that's kind of almost why I have been waiting this long, I wanted to give her a chance to see in and to back out if she needed to before it all got too much. I'm trying to learn from lessons done in the past and I just wanted to give her the best chance to settle in and to see what happens on the other side.

Miss Middleton: I'm also glad that I've had the time to sort of grow and understand myself more as well so hopefully do good job.

TB: Part of the reason it has taken you this long is you've both spent a long time contemplating the future, being calm about it, pondering it, thinking about it, is that right?

William: We've talked about it lots. It has always been something we've had a good chat about and like I said both of us have come to the decision pretty much together, I just chose when to do it and how to do it and obviously being a real romantic I did it extremely well.

TB: Kate, people have put, placed some criticisms about you about your work and so on, does that hurt? How do you respond to people who say those things.

Miss Middleton: I think I know I've been working very hard for the family business, sometimes those days are long days and I think if I know I'm working hard and I'm pulling my weight both work and playing hard at the same time, I think everyone who I work with can see I am there pulling my weight and that's really what matters to me.

TB: You have said your family are very close, does it hurt about what's said or do you let it run off all your collective backs on the grounds that's just what you have go to live with?

Miss Middleton: Again I think, the people around home are very supportive to us and those are the people who really matter to us, our close friends and close family and I think if they feel you are doing the right thing you can only be true to yourself and you sort of have to ignore a lot of what's said, obviously take it on board, but you have to be yourself really and that's how I have stuck by it really.

TB: It's a massive thing you are going into now, obviously marriage is a big thing for everyone, but it's in such a public way, excited? A little bit terrified?

William: Massively excited, quite happy when the interview's over, but no we are hugely excited and we are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together and seeing what the future holds.

TB: Kate, you've had a long time to contemplate this moment.

Miss Middleton: It's obviously nerve-wracking, because I don't know the ropes really, William is obviously used to it, but I'm willing to learn quickly and work hard.

TB: A lot of opportunities obviously within the family, a huge ability to change people's lives for the better, I guess that's something you must have contemplated as well.

Miss Middleton: Yes, well I really hope I can make a difference, even in the smallest way. I am looking forward to helping as much as I can.

Mesaggio per Giorgio - Trinity grade 3

2011-04-29T13:44:00.002+02:00

Giorgio, uno studente di un altro istituto, ha lasciato questo messaggio in un post del nostro blog:

Sono uno studente che quest'anno farà il grado 3 dell'esame Trinity.
Si potrebbero avere altri video interessanti e utili di conversazioni di questo genere?
Grazie.
Giorgio.

Caro Giorgio, nel sito del Trinity College, a questo link, trovi altro materiale e altri video.
Il Trinity College mette a disposizione dei sample videos, per tutti i grades dell'esame.

Se dovessi avere bisogno di altro materiale per ripassare (ad esempio qualche power point) non esitare a scrivermi una mail al mio indirizzo di posta (lo trovi nei menu di destra) specificando quali argomenti ti interessano di più.

Spero di esserti stata d'aiuto!

Ciao!

Cooperative teaching

2011-04-26T19:49:00.004+02:00

Ancora mille grazie alla professoressa Daniela Tomatis, impareggiabile collega del blog The machine goes on.
Daniela è una vera miniera d'oro! Ha ripreso il lessico proposto nel post di A little Brit (school-related verbs) lo ha inserito nel proprio wiki creando una serie di attività e di giochi per aiutarci a imparare meglio. I giochi sono molto utili e divertenti (provare per credere). Si va dal matching pairs al wordshoot, dalle flashcards al cannon ball fun!
Lo vedremo presto in aula di informatica. Per adesso provate a "smanettare" da casa: divertimento (e apprendimento!) assicurati!
Altra ghiotta risorsa è la meravigliosa collezione di flashcards: provate a curiosare collegandovi al link e cercate di mettervi alla prova con le varie attività proposte!
THANKS A LOT DANIELA!!!

video request from Giulia & Rita (class 1 D) - Jessie J - PRICE TAG

2011-04-26T18:54:00.000+02:00

Hi Giulia & Rita!
I found these videos, I hope you like them ;)

School vocabulary - school-related verbs - I verbi della scuola - Lessico della scuola

2011-04-26T11:18:00.010+02:00

Here's a list of school-related verbs. I hope it's useful.

- andare a scuola = go to school
- andare a scuola in autobus/bici = go to school by bus/ by bike

- andare a scuola a piedi = go to school on foot / walk to school

- mia madre/mio padre mi accompagna a scuola in auto

= my mum/dad drives me to school

- marinare la scuola = play truant

- arrivare in ritardo = be late

- andare bene a scuola/essere bravi a scuola = be a good student

- andare bene in matematica = be good at Maths
- andare in gita (a...) = go on a school trip (to...)
- essere assenti/presenti = be absent / be present
- perdere una lezione = miss a class
- fare l'appello = take the register
- giustificare un'assenza = excuse an absence
- portare una giustificazione scritta (firmata dal genitore)
= bring a written excuse (signed by one's parent)
- prestare/fare attenzione = pay attention (to)
- ascoltare = listen (to)
- ascoltare attentamente = listen carefully
- fare silenzio = be quiet
- comportarsi in modo educato = behave
- comportarsi in modo maleducato = misbehave
- essere gentile / educato = be kind / be polite
- essere maleducato = be rude
- disturbare = disturb
- punire = punish

- dare/prendere una nota
= give/take a bad conduct mark / be reported to one's parents
- dare compiti extra = give additional homework / give extra work

- imparare = learn
- imparare a memoria = learn by heart
- memorizzare = memorise (Am.En. memorize)
- recitare una poesia = recite a poem
- sapere/conoscere = know
- fare un errore = make a mistake
- risolvere = solve
- studiare = study
- studiare molto = study hard
- ripassare = revise
- leggere = read
- leggere a voce alta = read aloud

- scrivere = write
- copiare = copy
- tradurre in italiano = translate into Italian
- tradurre in inglese = translate into English
- completare = complete
- cerchiare = circle
- scegliere = choose
- abbinare = match

- imbrogliare (ad esempio in una verifica) = cheat (in a test)
- sottolineare = underline
- evidenziare = highlight
- disegnare = draw
- dipingere = paint
- alzare la mano = raise one's hand
- fare una domanda = ask a question
- rispondere a una domanda = answer a question

- parlare = speak
- parlare a voce più alta = speak louder
- parlare lentamente = speak slowly
- ripetere una parola = repeat a word

- insegnare = teach
- spiegare = explain
- incoraggiare = encourage
- aiutare = help

- fare i compiti = do one's homework
- fare un esercizio = do an exercise
- fare una verifica (di matematica) = have a (Maths) test
- fare un esame = take an exam
- superare/ essere promosso a un esame = pass an exam
- essere bocciato a un esame = fail an exam
- correggere = correct
- prendere un buon/brutto voto = get a good / bad mark

- prestare = lend
- prendere in prestito = borrow

- lavorare a gruppi = work in groups
- lavorare a coppie = work in pairs

capire = understand

fraintendere = misunderstand

dimenticare = forget

ricordare = remember

ricordare qualcosa a qualcuno = remind

alzarsi = stand up

essere in piedi / stare in piedi = stand

(lui è in piedi = he is standing)

sedersi = sit down

essere seduti/sedere = sit

(lui è in seduto = he is sitting)

mettersi in fila = line up

mettersi in fila per due = line up in pairs

chiedere il permesso = ask for permission

alzare la voce = raise one's voice

abbassare la voce = lower one's voice

andare in bagno = go to the toilet

appendere = hang

cancellare (con la gomma) = rub out

cancellare la lavagna = clean the blackboard

prendere appunti = take notes

distribuire = give out

raccogliere = collect

Describing a teacher - Talking about teachers - Fare la descrizione di un insegnante in inglese

2011-04-23T08:00:00.007+02:00

Third Year

Hi kids!
I haven't got much time so I won't be able to prepare a map.
Anyway, I've gathered some useful material we can use when we want to describe a teacher. First, you will find some adjectives (positive and negative in meaning) and then some sentences.
That's all folks! Hope it helps!

strict (= severo) or understanding (= comprensivo)

patient or impatient

organized and precise

dull (= piatto) /boring (= noioso) /monotonous
or interesting/involving (coinvolgente)

helpful (= che ti aiuta)

flexible

patient or impatient

fair / impartial or unfair / partial

enthusiastic

committed, supportive, caring

Have a look at these links too:

ESL flow.com
Enchanted Learning - A list of adjectives

RICORDATE CHE POSSIAMO FARE PARAGONI (USO DEL COMPARATIVO):
Art is more interesting than geometry.
English is easier than Music.
My Art teacher is more helpful than my German teacher.
My Spanish teacher is stricter than my P.E. teacher.
FRASI
s/he's (very) good at maintaining discipline and order
(= è bravo/a a mantenere la disciplina e l'ordine)
s/he's not very good at maintaining discipline and order

s/he's a good speaker / listener

s/he works hard to stay up-to-date in his/her subject
(= lavora sodo per mantenersi aggiornato relativamente alla propria materia)

s/he never/sometimes/always gives extra homework for punishment
(= mai/qualche volta/ sempre... dà compiti extra per punizione)

s/he always explains everything using simple words and straightforward examples.

(spiega sempre tutto utilizzando parole semplici ed esempi chiari)

s/he tends to explain everything using difficult words and complicated examples.

(= tende a spiegare tutto utilizzando parole difficili ed esempi complicati).

s/he jokes between serious explanations, so everyone can remember a topic better because it is closely associated with jokes.

(= scherza tra una spiegazione seria e l’altra in modo tale che tutti possono ricordare un argomento meglio perché è strettamente collegato alle osservazioni scherzose)

her/his explanations are too serious and all s/he cares about is order and silence during lesson.

(= le sue spiegazioni sono troppo serie e tutto quello che a lui/lei importa è di avere ordine e silenzio durante la lezione)

s/he teaches things in many different ways in order to accommodate for unique learning styles.

(= insegna le cose in molti modi diversi al fine di adattarsi agli stili di apprendimento di ciascuno)

s/he keeps trying different methods.

(= continua a provare/sperimentare diversi metodi)

s/he sticks to the same old method and s/he is not original, creative or innovative in any way.

(= è sempre attaccato al vecchio metodo di insegnamento e non è originale, creative o innovativo in nessun modo)

s/he is always ready to listen carefully whenever a student has a question to ask or has something to contribute.

(è sempre pronto/a ad ascoltare con attenzione ogni volta che uno studente ha una domanda da fare o vuole intervenire)

s/he doesn’t encourage students to contribute to the lesson or to ask questions.

(= non incoraggia gli studenti a intervenire o a fare domande)

s/he is a good listener

s/he is not a good listener (at all)

(= sa/non sa ascoltare)

s/he is friendly, nice and easy to get along with.

(= è amichevole ed è una persona con cui è facile andare d’accordo/approcciarsi)

s/he is distant and detached and not very friendly.

(= è distaccato/a e non molto amichevole)

s/he is passionate about her/his subject.

s/he is not very passionate about her/his subject.

(= è/non è appassionato/a della sua material)

most of the time s/he is enthusiastic and full of energy.

(= il più delle volte è entusiasta e pieno/a di energia)

most of the time s/he is dull, boring, monotonous.

(= il più delle volte è piatto/a, noioso/a, e monotono/a )

s/he can take a boring subject or boring learning material and make it interesting.

That makes it much easier to learn and remember things.

(= è capace di partire da una materia o un materiale noioso e renderlo interessante.

Questo rende molto più facile imparare e ricordare le cose.

s/he loses his/her temper quite easily and makes a fuss even over irrelevant things.

(= perde le staffe abbastanza facilmente e fa tante storie anche per cose irrilevanti)

s/he has an excellent self-control and never loses his/her temper.

(= ha un ottimo auto-controllo e non perde mai le staffe.

s/he is impartial with marks/grades and treats everyone in the class equally.

(= è imparziale con i voti e tratta tutti allo stesso modo in classe)

s/he is unfair and partial with some students.

(non è imparziale e fa preferenze)

s/he treats students with respect and never makes fun of them.

(= tratta gli studenti con rispetto e non li prende mai in giro)

s/he is not very respectful towards students and sometimes makes fun of them.

(= non è molto rispettoso con gli studenti e qualche volta li prende in giro)

Happy Earth Day 2011

2011-04-22T08:30:00.008+02:00

ANGELA MERKEL:

"WHAT HAPPENED IN JAPAN IS A TURNING POINT FOR THE WORLD."

(Ciò che è accaduto in Giappone è un punto di svolta per il mondo intero)

In tutto il mondo si celebra oggi il Giorno della Terra. Naturalmente il pensiero non può non andare al Giappone, alle vittime del terremoto e dello tsunami. Altre migliaia di vittime saranno presumibilmente provocate nei prossimi anni a cause dell'esplosione della centrale nucleare di Fukushima.

Milioni di metri cubi d'acqua sono stati irrimediabilmente contaminati. In una vasta area intorno alla centrale (anche quella pesantemente contaminata) non si potrà più tornare a vivere. Agli abitanti è stato concesso di tornare nelle vecchie abitazioni soltanto per due ore, con speciali tute e protezioni.

In tutto il mondo si sta facendo marcia indietro, si sta riconsiderando molto seriamente il nucleare e si spinge per trovare soluzioni meno costose e soprattutto meno rischiose, maggiormente eco-compatibili...
Il nostro premio Nobel per la Fisica Carlo Rubbia ha fatto un invito al presidente dell'Agenzia per la Sicurezza nucleare, Umberto Veronesi: ''suggerirei di andare a fare una visita di persona in Giappone, nella centrale di Fukushima perché credo sia importante che la gente capisca ciò che sta accadendo, e quello che sta succedendo avrà delle conseguenze enormi, gravi, che vanno studiate. E credo che il modo migliore sia rendersi conto direttamente di come stanno andando le cose''.

Earth Day - Links & Tips

2011-04-22T08:05:00.005+02:00

Hi kids! Happy Earth Day!
Here's an idea to start celebrating: a list of 50 easy ways to help the planet.
Check it out!

How much do you know about the environment?
Do you want to test your knowledge? Or maybe you just like to have some fun!
Check out this web link: EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) STUDENT CENTER and you'll find exciting games that can teach you more about the environment.

Here's a link teachers and other AlittleBRIT's readers might be interested in.

And here's another one.

Expressing likes dislikes interests and preferences in English

2011-04-21T19:32:00.019+02:00

Hi kids!

How do you say "mi piace, non mi piace, amo, odio, preferisco" in English?

Here's a map that illustrates various ways to express likes and dislikes, interests and preferences in English. Click on the map to enlarge it.

These are the verbs I've used:

be addicted to ______ing

(for example: cooking, taking photographs, playing the piano etc.)

be a ______ing addict

be a ______ing enthusiast

be mad / crazy about ______ing

be keen on ______ing

have a passion for ______ing

be fond of ______ing

be (really) into ______ing

be interested in ______ing

love ______ing

like ______ing

enjoy ______ing

hate ______ing

dislike ______ing

can't stand ______ing

not mind ______ing

prefer ______ing to ______ing

Hope you find it useful.

I used CmapTools to create the map (I love it! I'm addicted to it!).

The font is 3dumb (I'm crazy about it!) by Micheal Tension.

Check out these links too:

ESL Flow - Likes & dislikes

Conversation questions

Michelle Henry - resources

My English Images

Galilei Livorno

ESAME TRINITY - GRADE 4 & 3

2011-04-17T21:05:00.006+02:00

Hi kids!
Pubblico qui i programmi d'esame relativi al grade 3 (classi seconde) e grade 4 (classi terze).

Trovate il syllabus completo nel sito del Trinity College. Cliccate sull'immagine per ingrandire.

Caratteri (FONT) per tutti i gusti!

2011-04-15T20:50:00.008+02:00

Cari ragazzi di 1 C, durante l'ultima lezione abbiamo cominciato ad esplorare un sito piuttosto interessante, fontspace, che ci permette di utilizzare (facendo un velocissimo download) i caratteri (font) più diversi.

Abbiamo imparato che è necessario immettere una parola chiave in lingua inglese per ottimizzare la ricerca.

Ecco alcune delle parole chiave che abbiamo utilizzato: teddy bear (orsetto), spiderman, snow (neve), ice (ghiaccio), fire (fuoco), ghost (fantasma), doodle, graffiti, chalk (gesso), handwriting (calligrafia), Christmas, Halloween, smiley, school, romantic, cartoon, mouse...

Abbiamo scoperto che è facilissimo utilizzare questi font e come possono rendere molto più efficace un testo o un titolo... Naturalmente i font si possono usare anche associati a un'immagine... Qui di seguito pubblico tre esempi. I font usati sono: street soul (segnalato da Sebastiano, veramente molto bello!), eraser e due date.

Two songs by ADELE: Rolling In the Deep & Someone Like You

2011-04-13T18:22:00.007+02:00

Third Year
We listened to two songs by Adele with the third years students and, I must admit, it's been a great activity. I liked it a lot... I believe the students really enjoyed it.
Class 3 A did better with Adele's "Rolling In the Deep" while class 3 C did better with the second song "Someone Like You" (most of them got the scrambled text in the correct order after the first listening). Adele's album is terrific. She's got an amazing voice and I think it's really worth buying her new CD called "21". If you are a teacher and you're interested in doing some activities using Adele's lyrics, I suggest you have a look at the documents I uploaded in SCRIBD (see below).

Step 1: You need to cut the photocopy and give out the scrambled text to each student or, if you prefer, they can work in pairs with one text only. It is better to use different colours so the students don’t mix their own text with that of another classmate.

Step 2: Have the students listen to the song (you decide how many times, and if it is necessary to pause during the listening). The text lines are numbered (on the white sheet only) so you should read each number aloud and/or show the number using a small card.

Step 3: Once the students have finished their work check if they have made any mistakes. Now they can paste the small pieces of paper on the page.

Step 4: Work with the vocabulary sheet and ask the students to translate the text (this can be also assigned as homework). There are many different activities you can do, depending on the students’ level and on how much time you have.

song by ADELE Rolling In the Deep

song by ADELE Someone Like You

Canzoni segnalate

2011-04-11T20:20:00.003+02:00

Hi kids!

Vi ringrazio dei meravigliosi commenti che avete lasciato!

Pubblico qui alcune delle canzoni che mi avete segnalato. Vedremo quali riusciremo ad ascoltare prima della fine dell'anno (a qualche canzone dovrò dire di no non solo per questioni di tempo ma forse anche perché il testo non è adatto a noi).

Benita ha segnalato “Tell Me Something I Don't Know” di Selena Gomez;

Giulia “What’s my name” di Rihanna;

Valentina “Fireworks” di Katy Perry;

Rita e Giulia “Blow” di Kesha;

Rita “On the Floor” di Jennifer Lopez ft. Pittbull

Elia invece ci segnala:

“Gettin Over You” di David Guetta ft.Fergie, Chris Willis & LMFAO;

“I Got A Feeling” dei Black Eyed Peas;

“Loca” (English Version) di Shakira;

“Right Round” di Flo Rida.

Segnalate altre canzoni lasciando un commento a questo post! CIAO!

Queste due canzoni mi sono state segnalate da Giulia & Rita (grazie ragazze!)

NEW ENTRIES

“What the Hell” di Avril Lavigne;

“Hey (Nah Nah Nah)” di Milk & Sugar;

“Viva la Vida” dei Coldplay (quest'ultima mi piace particolarmente... Bel gruppo i Coldplay... ci faccio un SERIO pensierino ragazze!)

Rolling in the Deep - ADELE - lyrics - testo

2011-04-05T20:36:00.011+02:00

Il nome Adele in inglese si pronuncia adèl, senza la e finale e con l'accento sulla e.
Rolling in the deep fa parte dell'album intitolato "21".

(1) There's a fire

starting in my heart
reaching a fever pitch

and it's bring me out the dark

finally I can see you crystal clear
go ahead and sell me out

and I'll lay your shit bare
see how I'll leave,

with every piece of you
don't underestimate

the things that I will do

repeat (1)

(2) the scars of your love,

remind me of us
they keep me thinking

that we almost had it all
the scars of your love

they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling

we could have had it all
rolling in the deep
you had my heart inside

of your hand
and you played it

to the beat
baby I have no story to be told

but I've heard one of you

and I'm gonna make your head burn
think of me in the depths of your despair
make a home down there

as mine sure won't be shared

repeat (2)

throw your soul

through every open door
count your blessings to find what you look for
turn my sorrow

into treasured gold
you pay me back in kind

and reap just what you sow

repeat (2)

Il genio (veneto) che pose le basi per la creazione di Google

2011-04-02T16:09:00.009+02:00

Mr Marchiori, one of my heroes

I am a little reluctant to admit it kids, but I am not always proud to be Italian.
It is true that some things about my country make me stand in awe and, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.

And yet, many other things make me feel so ashamed. Look at our politicians (covering a significant part of the left-right spectrum) just to consider the most blatant example. Some of them have made Italians a laughing stock around the world, an object of jokes and ridicule, and that's so sad. What a shame that this beautiful country of ours should be run by such a bunch of idiots, crooks and clowns… Italians are so much better than that!

But when it comes to Veneto, my excellent region, then my heart swells with pride. I love my Venetian heritage and I love and admire my people.

Today I want to tell you about Padua born Massimo Marchiori, a young Italian computer scientist who made major contributions to the development of the web.

In July, 2004, he was given the prize TR100 by the Technology Review (the best 100 researchers in the world).
He works nowadays in the University of Padua Italy (he used to teach at the University of Venice) and in the World Wide Web Consortium. He was the creator of HyperSearch, a search engine where the results were based not only on single pages ranks, but also on the relationship between the single pages and the rest of the web. Afterwards, HyperSearch became the basis for future search algorithms such as PageRank, on which search engines such as Google are based.

To learn more about Mr Marchiori, have a look at today's article by Corriere della Sera.
Check out these links too:
Massimo Marchiori Fan Club
Il Sole 24 ore
Wikipedia

"La mia storia? Eccola. Mi sono laureato a Padova, specializzato in Olanda. Sono tornato a casa, a Venezia, ma non riuscivo a vincere un concorso. Mi sono visto passare davanti figli di ex rettori, nipoti di baroni, raccomandati d'ogni tipo. Ho mandato i miei lavori al Mit di Boston e mi ha chiamato subito di persona Tim Barners Lee (il creatore di World Wide Web, ndr). Un giorno sono andato a San Diego a esporre i risultati delle mie ricerche. Alla fine mi ha chiamato Larry Page e abbiamo discusso a lungo sulle possibili applicazioni. L'anno dopo lui e Brin hanno creato Google. Sono sempre stati onestissimi con me, hanno sottolineato un'infinità di volte il debito di Google con Hyper Search".

"Che cosa penso della cosiddetta riforma Gelmini? Sono sbalordito. A furia di lavorare con gli americani, sono diventato ingenuo come loro. Mi aspetto ogni volta, da qualsiasi governo italiano, che annunci nuovi fondi per la ricerca. Invece arrivano puntuali i tagli. Non m'intendo di politica ma non posso credere che non capiscano quanto stanno facendo. Tagli di questo tipo, indiscriminati, dovrebbero realizzare miracolosamente, secondo loro, una gestione virtuosa dei fondi universitari. Al contrario, rafforzano i baronati. Perché è evidente che, senza criteri di merito, a franare sono sempre i più deboli politicamente, cioè quelli che fanno ricerca, mentre i forti, i baroni, se la cavano sempre. Nell'uso di Internet il ritardo dell'università italiana è tragico. Ma presto non sarà un problema, perché di questo passo il futuro è una specie di Cepu, un'istruzione di serie B o C. Perché sono tornato in Italia? Me lo chiedo anch'io. Resto per tigna, e per gli studenti. Non vorrei rassegnarmi, ma non so fino a quando". Marchiori è un mito per gli studenti di mezzo mondo. Per i suoi è un formidabile biglietto da visita: "Studio con Marchiori".

Italy's 150th Birthday

2011-03-17T13:05:00.001+01:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T08:13:00.001+01:00

conditional tense

2011-03-16T09:43:00.014+01:00

Hi kids!

Here are some exercises to practise the use of conditional tenses.

Have fun!

English Grammar online 4U TYPE 1; TYPE 1

English Grammar online 4U TYPE 2; TYPE 2

Study Zone - first conditional

Study Zone - zero conditional

Impact English - first conditional

Impact English - second conditional

English Grammar Secrets (find the "tense" you need)

Better English - first conditional

Better English - second conditional

Auto English - first conditional

Auto English - second conditional

TEARS IN HEAVEN - Eric Clapton

Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?

Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven

Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?
I'll find my way through night and day
'Cause I know I just can't stay here in heaven

Time can bring you down; time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please

Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven

Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
'Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven
'Cause I know I don't belong, here in heaven

Happy Women's Day

2011-03-08T15:41:00.008+01:00

A message for MARIANNE (Takeaway English)

2011-02-21T11:23:00.003+01:00

Hi Marianne,
I don't have your e-mail address so I hope you drop by and read this.
I just wanted to let you know that whenever I try to access your blog, Google Chrome informs me that Takeaway English presents content from a site that contains malware.
Hope you can solve the problem...
Ciao :)
By the way, switch to Google Chrome as soon as you can, it's safer ;)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:43:00.007+01:00