Europe's biggest Live Nativity Scene

      In Priscos, a small village about 6 kilometres away from Braga, you can find “Europe’s Greatest Live Nativity Scene”. The parish community of Priscos and its inhabitants are responsible for this magnificent event, whose preparation takes nine months.

      This event takes place during the festive season of Christmas and it intends to strengthen the feeling of congregation among its participants, making the people of Priscos a true community. This project is open to all faiths, because every human being seeks for happiness and for the true meaning of life.

      “ We live in a time when opinions abound but when there are no ideas, a time when one often speaks of crisis, so it is urgent to restore the autonomy of thought, the sense of critical thinking about the meaning of life, history, eternity, and our relation to others.” See more.

      The Live Nativity of Priscos is an opportunity to make a trip to the time of Jesus. A trip with voices, music, smells, tastes, sounds, homes, shops and markets, and which is made possible with the help of  600 participants who give life to a story both ancient and new.

      The largest nativity scene in Europe encompasses almost 30,000 square kilometres with 60 scenarios representing Egyptian, Jewish and Roman cultures.

Camilo English Corner: a school project

Have a look at Camilo English Corner. We have been posting many messages recently. Have a look at these:

- Virtual friends! Good or bad?
- Looking for alternative lifestyles
- Speaking time
- Tips for learning vocabulary and grammar

Camilo English Corner makes part of Camilo Multilingue, a school project which involves some of the languages taught in our school.

Visit our different blogs. There you´ll find news written in different languages.
Portuguese 
English
Spanish
French

Fado has become part of the "Intangible Heritage of Humanity"

Fado (in English destiny) is a Portuguese music genre which celebrates the Portuguese soul.

"Fado is often called "Portuguese Blues", somewhere in the emotional landscape between African drums, Spanish and Arabian ballads, and Delta confessionals". MORRICONE

The silence and mystery of the night is the best moment to listen to this melody. Fado is about suffering, about missing someone (Portuguese:saudade), about love, tragedy, fate, jealousy, the sea, anything that stirs our emotions…

Amália Rodrigues was the most famous singer of the 20th century. She continues to be an inspiration for a new generation of singers who are giving a new burst to fado.


Mariza

Mariza (with English subtitles)

Ana Moura

Amália Hoje

Camané

Cloning

What exactly is cloning?

Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between the two.    Read more

Interactive explore: Try to create a clone

Some pros and cons of cloning

Our surrounding world

Next week my students are having their first written test this year.

Contents for the test

1. Reading comprehension and text production about the topics:
Block 1: Our World
Set 1:  A endangered planet
Set 2: Saving our Earth

Learn about the environmental situation by reading the site ThinkQuest.
Practice vocabulary at Learn English Today

2. Grammar:
  Connectors, past  tenses, prepositional verbs and comparatives.

Don't forget to study.

11th Form: our surrounding world

Hello! I have prepared a video about our environmental situation. It was my first video, I hope you like it!

A happy new school year!

My school

Hello!

School has started! I haven't posted anything recently because I have been very busy with the beginning of the school year. 

This year I have 81 students in the 11th grade and 45 students in the 10th grade (of a professional course).

I have been preparing new materials I may share with you later on.

Right now I am using these materials with my students. 

Best wishes,
Conceição

A journey to the past ...

Santa Maria da Feira’s castle

I have recently read the historical novel The White Queen (by Philippa Gregory) and have just started reading the second novel of this series, The Red Queen. Surprisingly, the English versions are cheaper than the Portuguese translations, so I decided to read these novels in English.

I am glad I have opted for these books. Firstly, I can remember some historical events of the British history which I studied a long time ago, but which were somehow forgotten. Secondly, I have access to two fascinating and thrilling novels, full of complex rivalries, loves and hatreds. Finally, I can practice my English skills and enhance my vocabulary.

Although there is fiction in these novels, much of it was thoroughly researched and studied by this established historian and writer. I have discovered this is a fantastic way to learn about history and remember it. 

Last week I went to a medieval fair in Santa Maria da Feira and for a while I was transported to a time of castles, knights, kings, queens, jousts,  artifacts and street merchants. In Portugal many different medieval fairs can be visited throughout the year. Portugal is a country with a rich historical and cultural heritage, consequently the perfect scenery for a journey to the past.

I find these fairs really exciting ... And you?

Lessons have finished ...

A picture I took in Lisbon. Lisbon is so wonderful. I am glad I revisited it ....

It has been a while since I last wrote in this blog. However, I have been so busy, I couldn't find the time or motivation to write.

Lessons have finished, but that doesn’t mean that the work at school has finished. Students in the 11th and 12th are still doing national exams and many meetings are taking place. Nevertheless, the work now is different and less stressful. Students demand a lot from us and we always need to be in a good physical and mental state. They give us no break. Moreover, temperatures are extremely high (above 30 degrees) at the moment, so it would be very difficult to make them work under such conditions.

It´s time for us to write all the reports we are supposed to write at the end of the school year, evaluate our work and prepare the new school year.

Right now I need a break so I am dedicating myself to reading a novel ...

Teens: a group work

This week my students have had their listening and written tests on the topic: young people in a global era.

Next week they are going to present their group works. Each group is going to talk about one of the following topics.

• Peer pressure
• Relationships
• Alcohol
• Drugs
• Smoking
• Eating disorders
• Bullying
• School pressure
• Generation Gap
• Teen pregnancy
• Depression

My students are expected to talk about causes, consequences and possible solutions to these problems.  The aim of this group work is to make them think about these issues and find possible ways of handling with them.
I have also been searching about these issues and I have recently discovered the site, Radical Parenting, which I find much useful because teens write about their own issues.

An article which deals with the question whether peer pressure is always the reason for starting an addiction/bad behaviour:
http://www.messengersindenim.org/2011/05/peer-pressure-isnt-always-reason-for.html

An article about teen pregancy:
 http://www.radicalparenting.com/2011/05/24/teen-pregnancy-fad-still-going-strong/

It's all for now. I have much work. I have to correct my students' tests.

Teens' problems

My students have been preparing a goup work on a chosen teen's problem.

Here in this site you can find very interesting information about some common teens' problems.

Relative clauses rephrasing

Below you can find some links so that you can pratise your relative clauses.

http://www.xtec.es/~ogodoy/sac/rephrasing/relclex2.htm


http://www.xtec.es/~ogodoy/sac/rephrasing/relclex3c.htm

http://www.xtec.es/~ogodoy/sac/rephrasing/relclex1c.htm

http://lucalasalle.blogspot.com/2009/02/relative-pronouns-rephrasing.html

Teenage years

A lesson I prepared about the topic: Young people

1. I’ve brought to school some quotations of famous people who wrote about being young. Then I asked my students to comment on them.

“It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it”. William Sommerset Maugham

“I'm youth, I'm joy, I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.”   James M. Barrie

“Youth comes but once in a lifetime”      Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Youth has no age.”Pablo Picasso

2. After this last quotation, we saw the video clip: Young forever by Jay-Z and Mr. Hudson and spoke about the activities young people were involved in.

3. Then we listened to the song again and completed the lyrics, gap filling exercise.

4. At this time I started preparing my students for a text we were about to read next. This text dealt with the advantages and difficulties of being a teenager these days

5. Before reading the text, I asked my students about teens’ hopes. These were my students' answers:

• Going to university and taking a degree;
• Having a successful career;
• Having a nice family;
• Having enough money to have a comfortable life;
• Being rich and famous;
• Being happy;
• Finding the love of one’s life;
• Travelling a lot;
• Doing something unique and outstanding.

Then I asked them about their worries:

• Being unable to have a fulfilling career;
• Being unemployed;
• Not having enough money to pay one’s bills;
• Dying young;
• Being rejected;
• Not having a fulfilling relationship;
• Being alone;
• Having no real friends;
• Being unable to fulfill one's dreams;


6. Finally, we read the text: Do parents know their kids?

Expressing wishes

We have been studying the grammar topic: expressing wishes and regrets in English.

We have already done many different exercises during lessons, but I have found some more on the web.

Try this: http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wish2.htm
Try this: http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/wish/menu.php

Another one: http://www.adrformacion.com/udsimg/ingles4/2/Ingles4L2-3a.htm

An interesting video about Portugal!

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXw5fMIYGqg

Portugal is in a great financial crisis and we need the help of all the European Union countries. It seems Finnland is still unsure whether to help Portugal; consequently a video about Portugal was made to show how great Portugal is.

I liked the video so much that I decided to share it with you.

Young people in a global era

We've started a new topic: Young people in a global era.


Firstly, we did a brainstorming exercise. My students presented all the words they associated to: young people, such as:

- going out
- friends
- trying new things
- relationships
- love and dating
- changes in humour
- hormones
- acne
- body changes
- teen pregancy
- addictions: drugs, alcohol, smoking, computer games, etc.
- body image
- eating disorders
- bullying
- depression
- generation gap
- peer pressure
- school pressure
- uncertainty about the future
- desire for freedom

As we can see above, there are good and bad things about being a teenager.
Teenage years can be the best or the worst time of people's lives.
Teens' family, friends and teachers play a very important role during this time because they can help teens overcome the difficulties they may face.

Read more:
Some tips

The 25th of April: Freedom Day in Portugal

The 25th of April is a national holiday in Portugal. We celebrate the fall of the dictatorship and the birth of democracy. This event took place in Lisbon on the 25th April 1974.

It is known as the Carnation Revolution " a Revolução dos Cravos" because it was a very pacific revolution and there was no bloodshed.

Songs associated to the 25th of April

Grândola, Vila Morena- Zéca Afonso
E Depois do Adeus-  Paulo de Carvalho

Read more

" The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese: Revolução dos Cravos), also referred to as the 25 de Abril (the 25th of April), was a left-leaning military coup started on 25 April 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with an unanticipated and extensive campaign of civil resistance. These events effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy, and produced enormous changes in social, economic and political structures of Portugal, after two years of a transitional period known as PREC (Processo Revolucionário Em Curso, or On-Going Revolutionary Process), characterized by social turmoil and power disputes between left-and right-wing political forces.

Despite repeated appeals from the revolutionaries on the radio asking the population to stay home, thousands of Portuguese descended on the streets, mixing with the military insurgents.

The military-led coup returned democracy to Portugal, ending the unpopular Colonial War where thousands of Portuguese soldiers had been conscripted into military service, and replacing the authoritarian Estado Novo (New State) regime and its secret police which repressed elemental civil liberties and political freedoms. "

Source: Wikipedia

Easter in Portugal

Easter is a very important celebration in Portugal. Since Portugal is a country where the catholic traditions are deeply rooted, Easter has acquired a great importance in our society.

Braga, the city where I am from, is particularly known for the different festivities that occur during the holy week, in Portuguese “Semana Santa”. People throughout Portugal and from abroad come to Braga to appreciate and experience this season.

Moreover, people take the opportunity to refresh and renovate their houses. The countryside is covered with flowers, which exude a marvelous scent. Birds are seen everywhere. Spring time is so good ….

Many people also seize this opportunity to travel and visit other places. If the weather is good, the beach is a preferred destination for many.

On Easter Day, families traditionally join together. A group of people come to people’s house carrying the cross "o compasso" and wish everybody a happy Easter. Godfathers and godmothers give presents and chocolates eggs to their godchildren.
 
It’s a time of joy and sharing ...

Correcting students' tests

I have been very busy preparing and correcting students' last tests (written, listening and oral tests) and concluding the evaluation process.

After arriving from school, all the time I have is dedicated to correcting students' tests and assignments.

I am totally exhausted.

I don't even have time to blog.

The internet and the other mass media!

How different is the internet from the other Media?


 Besides allowing quick or instant access to all sorts of information, data and entertainment, it also connects the entire world together. In short, people can be accessible anywhere and at any time.

 Moreover, the internet allows people to play a much more active role and it is much more convenient for them.

 Finally, we have access to all media in one! If we have an internet connection, we can have access to all the other media online.

What are your predictions for the future?

Will the internet cause the death of the other Mass Media?

 Or

Will the other mass media be able to innovate and keep their audiences/readership?

The evolution of the mass media

We have been talking about the evolution of the mass media throughout the times till the present
In order to give my students background information about this topic, I prepared a powerpoint presentation
I had to scan through innumerous sites so as to find the most accurate information. Different sites show different dates, so we never know which site is right and which site is wrong.
I enjoyed doing this and I hope this can be useful to my students and to anyone in the blogosphere.

Sorry: I couldn't upload the powerpoint presentation. Can you help me?

Carnival in Portugal

Carnival is synonymous with joy, fun, laugh, trick and satire. People throughout Portugal celebrate it with great enthusiasm and good-humour. There are great parades in many Portuguese cities, where thousands of people can be seen, either participating or enjoying the view. Each city has its own traditions and customs, which make part of the country's history.

People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations and pretend to be someone new and different. In many street celebrations, lots of floats with political or social message can also be seen.
 Carnival is considered a time of excesses and fun. It occurs immediately before Lent, a period of fasting and penitence for the Christian communities. It is believed that Carnival started in Europe in the eleventh century, and spread to other continents with the help of emigrants.
The best-known Carnival in the World takes place in Brazil. Samba is a typically Brazilian dance, which was popularized by carnival. In Portugal we can already see many features of the Brazilian carnival, such as samba schools and samba dancers.

After three days of celebrations, it’s time to return to daily’s life routine and hope for another carnival.

Today's Mass Media

We have started block 3: Mass Media and global communication.

Firstly, students  identified the different mass media: television, radio, print media/press and internet.

Then, we talked about the purposes of the Mass Media. Below you can find some examples.

• To inform:
• To entertain;
• To educate;
• To sell/ advertise;
• To call people’s attention to a certain problem/ situation;
• To promote social change.

We also considered some pros and some cons of the Mass Media.

Pros
• Good source of entertainment, information, knowledge, culture;
• Quick and/or instant access to updated information;
• Portability;
• Company;
• Way to relax and relieve stress;
• Possibility of reaching anyone anywhere (internet).

Cons
• Invasion of people’s privacy;
• Audience war and the lowering of standards;
• Censorship;
• Manipulation of information;
• Exploitation of people's feelings;
• Abuse of shocking images;
• Violence;
• Sedentarism and obesity;
• Cyberbulling and identity theft (internet).

We also read a text called- young people, youth TV- and did several reading comprehension exercises on it. Then we did many vocabulary exercises related to the topic.

As for grammar, we have been talking about relative clauses.

Film watching: Simone

At home I have been correcting students ‘tests.  At school, we have been watching the film, Simone. This film is a funny and interesting way of establishing the link between the last block we studied and the one we are about to start and which deals with the Mass media and global communication.

In this film we see a digitized actress becoming an overnight success. She is so virtually perfect that people all over the world fall in love with her, never imagining she is not real.  We can see the power the several media, namely cinema, TV and the print media, have on people and how well they manipulate the public opinion and  preferences.

 After watching the film, the students are requested to write a film review.

See the trailer

Valentine's Day is coming ...

"What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of Valentine’s Day? The word is Love. Something that we all crave and need, and at times wish for. So if you have fallen in love, go all out to express your hearts desire to your valentine. Pen down all your thoughts in a valentine card and gift it to her. A love letter with romantic love quotes is even better."                                         Source: My dear Valentine

See More:
Valentine's cards
Valentine's poems for him
Valentine's poems for her
Valentine's Day history

Students' written tests

I have been very busy, preparing students' next tests.

Contents

Block 2: A technological world

• set 1: great inventions/ technological advances
• set 2: social effects of technology   (see worksheet)
• set 3: space exploration

- Text production: An argumentative text (on the referred topics)

- Grammar topics: Passives (+ idiomatic), different ways of expressing future and connectors.

Space exploration

Before finishing the topic, a technological world, we had time to talk a little about space exploration.

First we did  a brainstorming exercise in order to activate students' vocabulary on the topic. Then we read a text about the first female space tourist and did some exercises about it.

The students were asked to research about the space race and present some conclusions in class, which they did. We also saw the trailer of the film, Apollo 13 and commented on it.

Finally, students presented the advantages and disadvantages of space exploration.

If want to know more about the space race, check this site:
http://www.seasky.org/spacexp/sky5d6.html

If you want to know more about the pros and cons of space exploration, check this site:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Space-Exploration-2540/2008/4/Advantages-Space-Exploration.htm

Ways of expressing future ...

Now that we have been talking about technology, it’s the perfect time to revise the different ways of expressing the idea of future in English.


In class we have seen many examples of sentences with “going to” and with “will”. However, we have also talked about situations where the present continuous and the present simple can be used to express a future action.

Try these links to find some information about this grammar topic. Then do the quizzes to test your knowledge.

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/goingtoorwill/menu.php

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplefuture.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/339.html

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/willgo.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/will_going_to_future.htm

Test your passive voice ...

Try these links to gather some information about the passive voice. Then test your knowledge.

Explanations and exercises:

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/passive/menu.php

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/passive.htm

Exercises:

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-voice_quiz.htm - Active or Passive?

http://a4esl.org/q/h/vm/active-passive.html - Active or passive?

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive1.htm - Active to passive transformations

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_passive2.htm - Passive to active transformations

Addicted to technology - Watch the video and do the quiz

for websites and blogs that support iframes:

We live in a technological world (reading)

I was surfing the web, when I found this article about technology. I liked it so much, I decided to share it with you.
Don't forget that reading is a good way to aquire vocabulary.

You can read the all article at: http://itsallwrong.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/gen-y-living-in-a-technology-driven-world/

"I believe this technology-centered universe is a good thing. A great thing even. Look what we’ve accomplished because of it. Job interviews and work meetings can now be held via Skype, saving hundreds of dollars on plane tickets; 20-somethings can become published authors with the push of a button on WordPress; huge brands can connect directly with their consumers through Twitter and Facebook; and heck, men and women can even find their perfect “match” on various sites.

Technology has changed the way the world works. And in my opinion, it has given Gen-Y an edge. We’re used to embracing new trends. But more than that, we know what we want, what appeals to us, and are therefore positioned as leaders. Think about it. Mark Zuckerberg was only 20 years old when he launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm.

Gen-Y is privileged. As technology evolves, efficiencies continue to increase. When we’re in doubt, we can Google it.

On the other hand, we’re impatient. Insatiable. We see our lives flash before our eyes when computers malfunction. We spend too much time glued to video games instead of outside enjoying the Sun. Sometimes, we even take the personal touch for granted. And we shouldn’t.

Face-to-face conversations are still better than online chats. A hug is more comforting than XOXO. And handwritten cards are the best. The “basic” things in life can never be replaced. They are essential."

Written by : Lauren Novo, a senior at Florida State University double majoring in media/communication studies and creative writing. Her career in public relations begins full time in May. To learn more about Lauren, connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn, and read her award-winning blog: Gen-Y PRogress.

Good Text! Don't you think ?

The evolution of technology and the human race: a video

An interesting video I found in Youtube about the evolution of technology.



There are so many videos about this topic you can watch.

A technological World

We have started a new topic: Man and technology.

I 've taken to class pictures of many important inventions and asked students to talk about them and their importance to the world. Then they had to match these inventions to the correct century they were invented. I was surprised because many of them thought that TV and radio were invented in the 19th century, which is not true. Besides, they couldn't believe the submarine and the printing press were so old. We also spoke about some important inventors.
When I asked them what they considered to be the most important invention of all, many of them mentioned the internet. Medical advances and communications are among the greatest human accomplishments.
Finally, I asked them if these chances were for the better or for the worse, and they all agreed that life has become better, longer, more comfortable and interesting because of technology.

Mel Gibson: born on this day

Mel Gibson, who was born on the 3rd January,  is an actor I truly admire. In fact, Brave Heart is one of my favourite films ever.

"Born in Peekskill, New York, producer, director and actor Mel Gibson grew up in Australia. His first success was in Mad Max (1979), and he went on to international fame in blockbuster hits such as Lethal Weapon (1987) and Braveheart (1995). Gibson bankrolled and directed the controversial, The Passion of the Christ in 2004."

Read more at : http://www.biography.com/articles/Mel-Gibson-9310680

A new year has started ...

Let's get back to work after some rest. I really needed that. Teaching can be really rewarding, but it is also very tiring and demanding.

During this school break, I travelled to Switzerland to visit my relatives.  I had the chance to revise my French and contact with another culture and mentality. It was so enriching and refreshing...

School starts tomorrow, which means much work and stress.

I wish life wouldn't be so stressful and demanding. This year I hope to find a better balance between personal  and professional life. However, I ask myself if that is possible?

A happy New Year for all ....