British Council Villaviciosa

Quote of the Week

If I was House's friend, I would hate it. How he so resolutely refuses to be happy or take the kind-hearted road. But we don't always like morally good people, do we?
Hugh Laurie

Situated in Calle Santa Ana in the historical heart of Villaviciosa de Odón, less than five minutes away from the castle.








Our dedicated team of professional teachers ensures to maximise the potential for learning in the classroom and, wherever possible, outside of the classroom as well. That is why we have decided to set up this blog so that you can visit from home and practise anything you feel you may need to, or just have some fun in English.

The Staff

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Remember, you are always welcome to visit our websites

http://www.britishcouncil.es/
http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/
http://mylcpodcasts.blogspot.com/
http://linkslibrary.britishcouncil.org/links/searchLinks.asp http://www.britishcouncil.org/spain-learn-english-in-spain-villaviciosa

and take advantage of the many resources, games and quizzes at your disposal there, or if you are younger in years and prefer to play games there is a better selection at our Villviciosa blog for kids site.

http://www.villaviciosabckids.blogspot.com/
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Websites of interest

Listening

http://mylcpodcasts.blogspot.com/ Excellent podacasts from the Madrid Young Learners site.

http://allphonetics.blogspot.com/A great little site for pronunciation practice and listening to songs with exercises.

http://storynory.com/ A story-telling site for junior and primary students.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/ Nostalgic information films from the national archives. Interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/story/sbi.shtml Children's stories for talented young learners.

http://www.storylineonline.net/ Great story site with stories read by famous American actors.

http://eslpod.com/website/index.php Podcasts discussing cultural aspects of the US and UK.

http://elllo.org/ Hundreds of listening activites about almost every conceivable topic.

http://www.absolutely-intercultural.com/ The prize-winning first multi-cultural podcast.

http://www.chinswing.com/pages/default.aspx Educational topics discussed in another podcast.

http://smcminn.blogmatrix.com/ Another podcast for English language learners.

http://www.esl-lab.com/ Listenings for all levels of difficulty.

http://librivox.org/ Free audio-books on line.

Reading

http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/search.html For a great choice of on-line books with information about the authors.

http://bartleby.com/ Another great site for on-line reading and reference source.

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/ Lots of texts, including complete works of Shakespeare, free on-line.

Writing

http://www.writingfun.com Different text types with examples to help you.

Video Websites

http://nothingbutvideos.blogspot.com/ Videos showing the strange or fantastic.

http://vbcyl.blogspot.com/ Great flash movies...thanks Jonathan in Valencia.

http://www.watchmojo.com/main.php A very easy to use video site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/onlinesubtitlestrial.shtml Short films from the BBC with subtitles. Some can be quite unnerving.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=bbcworldwide Cultural pot-pourri from the BBC and Youtube. Documentaries, comedies and factual programmes.

http://www.videojug.com/ Learn how to do things with videojug.

http://www.purevideo.com/ Videos, film trailers, comedy scenes etc.

Grammar Websites

http://delicious.com/ A social bookmarking site which enables you to look for approved, preselected websites related to English and other topics.

http://www.blogger.com/www.isabelperez.com Great little website with grammar exercises, songs etc

http://www.eslcafe.com/ Comprehensive website with materials for teachers, exercises for students and a podcast too.

http://www.learnenglish.de/ Grammar exercises, quizzes and games for all levels.

http://www.autoenglish.org/ Fairly comprehensive website for students of English with forums and links too.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/ Comprehensive site with topical readings for all levels, games, grammar and podcasts.

http://www.wordsurfing.co.uk/ Grammar exercises of all types for all levels.

Exam Help

http://www.flo-joe.com/ The most popular site for practising FCE, CAE and CPE exam.

http://www.writefix.com/ Help with writing essays.

http://www.cambridgeesol.org/students/index.htm Official site for information about all Cambridge exams.

http://www.international.holmesglen.vic.edu.au/ie.cfm An Australian site that offers comprehensive information and hints on every part of the IELTS test, with online exercises and practice tasks (including listening) and lots of examples to download in pdf format.

http://www.pearsonlongman.com/exams/ This site, published by Longman, features a variety of practice activities for students studying for KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS. The activities consist of samples from a selection of their course books and exam practice materials, and include downloadable reading, speaking, writing and Use of English tasks, many in pdf format.

http://www.splendidspeaking.podomatic.com/ Great podcast site with help on how to improve speaking skills.

http://www.splendid-learning.co.uk/podcast/index.html Another podcasting site including Flo-Joe radio.

http://www.crenglish.com/ For resources and information on Study English and English language schools.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/professionals-exam-skills-oral-exam-stress-intro.htm

Combat that pre-exam stress with some helpful hints.

News and Views

http://www.thepaperboy.com/uk/ See the headlines of all the daily newspapers in th UK at the push of a button.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/default.asp Easy to use map of the world with newspaper headlines.

http://www.thepaperboy.com/ The world's headlines, including translations of many overseas newspapers.

http://www.ananova.com/ Headline news and quirky news from Ananova, available in video form too.

http://www.private-eye.co.uk/ A satirical look at British current affairs from the Private Eye team.

http://www.forteantimes.com/ For news natural and supernatural.

http://www.youtube.com/BBC The BBC and Youtube collaborate to bring you up-to-date news videos on a daily basis.

http://www.meteosam.com/eng/index.php Listen to the weather in the city of your choice from Weatherman Sam.

Fun and Cultural Websites

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5010 Check out these amazing photos of New York

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_movie.html Check out this site for news, stories and reviews iof the Twilight Series of books and films.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/hardspell/ Test your English spelling against the clock and against other contestants.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ Great site with news, videos etc.

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/games/index.html Anagrams, wordsearches and codewords, race time, compete online with other contestants and play with words!

http://www.national-anthems.net/ Listen to the world's national anthems and sing along.

http://www.mysterynet.com/see/ An interactive crime-solving activity where students are introduced to the scene of a crime, and are then asked to decide 'whodunit' based on information gathered by clicking on different parts of the scene.

http://www.plastelina.net/This site has logic problems for students to solve. Teachers could use the activities such as the Wolf, Sheep and Cabbages problem.

http://www.gone2thedogs.com/ What sort of dog are you? Quirky site with fun listening and reading content for seniors and adults.

http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/# Great website related to colours. Students can create their own colour pictures too. For all ages, though the vocabulary can be a bit difficult. With music.

http://www.dorlingkindersley-uk.co.uk/static/cs/uk/11/clipart/home.html

Great clipart and photo site for students or teachers. It also contains sounds and film files.

http://www.imaginistix.com/ The fantasy artwork of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, the best in the business.

http://www.artpromote.com/ Great variety of artwork of all styles plus information about artists, auctions and anything related to the art world.

http://www.ultimatearcade.com/ Literally hundreds of games at your disposal.

http://www.kidsites.com/ Educational and fun site for kids and teachers.

http://uk.gamespy.com/ For anyone interested in Xbox or Playstation, news and reviews of new games.

http://browse.deviantart.com/flash/games/ Lots of fun and games here from draughts to snorkelling.

http://www.dvddrive-in.com/index.htm A huge selection of classic horror DVDs and film reviews. Not for the squeamish.

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1975939,00.html The Guardian's list of the top 100 websites.

http://madrid.lanetro.com/ A cultural guide to Madrid...cinemas, theatres, restaurants etc.

http://www.footballresults.org/ See the football results of any league, any country at the click of a button.

http://www.insidehoops.com/ International basketball news and results.

http://www.queendom.com/Personality tests, IQ tests, Relationship tests, Trivia Quizzes.

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Painting of the Week

This is a painting called The City painted by someone (in 1903) more famous for

being a writer than a painter, namely Sweden's own August Strindberg.
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Free Energy?

Listen to this interview with Sean MacCarthy, from the company Steorn, and write your opinions on the topic as a comment on the blog. Do you think it is feasible or do you think it is a hoax?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbNBYnqDfBQ

Latest News

As it turned out, and as expected, a complete hoax. Too good to be true!

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Teachers' Tool

Great List of Educational Websites for teacher use.

http://dictionary.reference.com/ Great reference dictionary and Thesaurus.

http://www.wordreference.com/ Online French, Italian and Spanish Dictionary

http://www.wordlearner.com/ Share and use materials with other language teachers.

http://www.teachers-pet.org/download.html Free tools for creative teachers.

http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/ Create all manner of puzzles and wordsearches for your students.

http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/ You supply the words and clues, and this site will create the puzzle for you.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ News lessons for class discussion.

http://www.onestopenglish.com/ Recent and old news items for class discussion, teaching materials and more.

http://www.burlingtonbooks.com/bbspain/teaching/elemgames.html An excellent selection of websites and teaching resources for teachers and students alike.

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Poetry Corner

Each week we will present a sample of some verse from classics to talented amateurs. If you are a budding writer, send us a sample of your work and we will publish it.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

W.H Auden

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Suggestions
If you have any suggetions as to how we can improve our blog or our service, then please feel free to post a comment.


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Homework helpdesk

Having trouble with your homework or is there a word you need to know or a point of grammar which just seems to evade explanation? If so, then post a comment on the blog and we'll try to answer your queries as quickly and as comprehensively as we can.

Q? What's the difference between "due to" and "owing to"?

Answer There are no differences in meaning between the two and they are mostly used synonymously by the majority of people, although a strict grammarian would tell you that "Owing to" should only be used at the beginning of a sentence and "Due to" within the sentence.

Anonymous said...

hello!I have a little problem: often I can't remember the words and the vocabulary I learn in English class.Can you help me, please?

Hello (again?) Anonymous,

If I were you, I would look through my work on a daily basis for just a couple of minutes. That way, the vocabulary and the lesson will always be fresh in your memory. If you do this, there will also be no need to spend a week revising for your exams.
Another good way not to forget vocabulary is to put it to use...try and work the new vocabulary into work that you do in class, or written homework. In this way, you will also understand it better and improve your working knowledge of English, as well as communicate more and better.

Hope it helps!

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Showcase

Some of you may remember Soniya Amrit Patel who worked at this centre a while ago. This is just some of her extraordinary artwork. We'd like to showcase the work of teachers and students alike on this, our cultural blog. In my opinion, it puts the Turner prize candidates to shame, and redeems some pride for modern art. To see what I mean, click on the link below to see an exhibition by last year's British Turner Prize aspirant, Tracey Emin.

http://www.britishcouncil-venice.org/

Jonathan Paige from the Valencia centre is also a talented, and very modest artist, who apart from painting, music making and teaching is also recently a father. Where does he get the time?

And Jaime Aguilar Gallego from 5SD here displays his fantasy art, based on the B-Movies of the 1950's.

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And last but not least, our very own Jordan Morton, newcomer to the centre, is quite handy with a pencil himself.

Great Comedy Moments

Click on this Url to watch an hilarious moment with Rowan Atkinson playing the ape.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_MpbMm0433I
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Watch a delightful short film called "Delivery". Quite beautiful.

Click on the address below:

http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=-979142813772951376

British Council Intranet

There are a number of self study resources available on the British Council Intranet at:
www.bcmadridyl.com
Easy Access to loads of ready to use material on the web sites below:

Grammar
All Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/index.shtml
All Levels
www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-archive

Reading
All Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/newsenglish
Higher Levels
www.newwriting.britishcouncil.org
Lower Levels/Younger Learners
www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-stories-poems-homepage.htm

Listening
All Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/radio
All Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/radio/waystolisten/podcasts
All Levels
www.youtube.com/BBC

Games
All Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/games
Higher Levels
www.eastoftheweb.com/games
Higher Levels
www.bbc.co.uk/sn/hottopics/climatechange/climate_challenge
For Younger Learners
Younger Learners
www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies
Younger Leaners
www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids

Things you should and shouldn't learn at school

When I was at school I learnt many things that had nothing to do with functioning in the real world and didn't learn many of the essentials, practical things like learning how to change a car battery, fix a light switch or a toilet cistern. Things like filling in your tax returns would be a whole lot more useful than learning which King got an arrow in his eye.


What do you think?

What did you learn at school which you think was useless?

What would you like to have learned?

Crisis - Is it more important to look for the cause or the solution?

How did the crisis begin? Is it over in some countries? When will it end for Spain? Where do we look for a solution?

Twilight

Have you read the Twilight Series?

What do you think of the books?

Is the film faithful to the book?

Who are your favourite characters?

Torn between Vampire Edward ,Werewolf Jacob and regular guy Mike, who would you go for?

Write and share your views

Barack Obama as President

Is Barack Obama doing the right thing making the banks pay back the money they were given to help them?

What has he achieved in his first year as President?

Are there groups of people inside and outside his own party who are putting obstacles in his way?

Is he going prematurely grey like every other leader?

Write and share your views