History & Politics

If you'd like to read more on THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS, check this site:
http://www.battle1066.com/

This site tells the story of the British Isles from the first Roman Invasion to the fateful culmination known as the Battle of Hastings which was fought between King Harold II of England and Duke William of Normandy on the 14th October 1066, a date that changed the course of British history.

More on THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR here:
http://www.open2.net/civilwar/
This website examines the personalities, events and battles of the Civil War era.

A website dedicated to KING ARTHUR and his Knights of the Round Table can be found on the following link:
http://www.kingarthursknights.com/

If interested in KING HENRY VIII and his six wives, then go to:
http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/tudor.htm

FILE 3 CONTENTS

This week I intend to finish File 3 in class. What follows is the list of contents you should revise (so please do!):

GRAMMAR
Narrative tenses, past perfect continuous
Third conditional
Should/shouldn't have
Deduction: must/might/can't + infinitive
Must have, might have, can't have

VOCABULARY
Common verbs which are often confused: rob/steal, etc.
Strong adjectives: exhausted, petrified, etc.
History and politics: army, dictator, etc.

PRONUNCIATION
Saying verb forms more accurately: regular/irregular past
Frequently mispronounced words: silent letters

File 3C

FILE 3 Check your Progress

You should do Check your Progress 3 on page 53 in your Student's Book as a mini-test for homework and self-correct it with the key below. Find out your score out of 50 and see which areas are still causing problems. Then go back and revise.

FILE 3C Web Guide
To further practise modal verbs, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

Must and don't have to

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

.

Couldn't and Might not

http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal4.htm

.

Modals: Revision

http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal7.htm

For further information on British History, check these sites:

Henry VIII of England

http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_the_Eighth

Elizabethan Spying Game

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/launch_gms_spying.shtml

Kings and Queens through Time

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/launch_tl_kings_queens.shtml

The Essential Norman Conquest

http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/

3B RACE TO THE END OF THE EARTH

If you'd like to do some further reading on the story of Captain Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, check the following site:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0002/race_to_end/index.html

3B I CUT THE ROPE

If you'd like to read more on Joe and Simon's story of survival, check the following article from the Independent:

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article78588.ece

Check also the following site:

http://www.noordinaryjoe.co.uk/

UNIT 61 KEY

Please find below the key to the exercises on Be/get used to something (I'm used to...), photocopies of which were handed out in class last week.

File 3B

FILE 3B Web Guide
To further practise the verb tenses of File 3B, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

Mixed Conditionals Game

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/words/activities/mixed_conditionals.html

Conditional Quiz

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/con31.htm

Your chance to enter the Mini-saga Competition 2008

Remember the mini-saga competition in FILE 3A organised by the Daily Telegraph? Now it is your turn to write your own very short story. By doing so, you could win a straightaway PASS in the Writing paper in March exams.

The judges of our Mini-saga Competition will be students from the other three YEAR 4 groups. They will decide who will NOT have to sit the Writing paper in March. ALL entries will appear in the class blog.

How to write a mini-saga

Your Mini-saga must be exactly 50 words long. (Hyphenated words can be counted as one word or two, at your discretion.) In addition it must carry a title of no more than 15 words, which will, ideally, set the scene and illuminate or counterpoint the text.

Most important, your story must have a beginning, a middle and an end. Something must happen, preferably something which will keep the reader thinking. Fifty dazzlingly deployed words of description or reflection will not do.

How to enter

You must e-mail your entry to patriciaeoimalaga@yahoo.es BEFORE we finish FILE 3 in class.

File 3A

FILE 3 Word list and Grammar Check
Today I have e-mailed to the students subscribed to the mailing list the word list and the grammar check for FILE 3, together with the key for ALL files.

FILE 3A Web Guide
To further practise the verb tenses and the vocabulary of File 3A, EFL teachers recommend the following sites:

English Zone: Past Perfect

http://esl.about.com/homework/esl/library/grammar/blpresperfect.htm

..

Revision of Irregular Pasts

http://www.englishforjapanese.com/exercises/verb%20forms/15%20past%20tense%20review.html

Easily Confused Words

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0769309.html