Welcome to Level IV!

Dear all:
I hope you all had a nice break and managed to relax either somewhere else or just doing something different.

First thing you should do is to add anybody new to your link list.

To give you a bit of freedom, today you will have the chance to choose what you write about. Please make sure you plan your writing before you start. Give it an introduction, body and some sort of conclusion or closure. (250 words min)
Of course I expect you to comment on your classmate's blogs.



The possibilities are:






-Animal rights in Chile.



-Education in Chile.



-Gender and opportunities in Chile.

Important favor

Dear all:
Very important to do before July 9th. Visit:

http://www.lapetus.uchile.cl/lapetus/2009/1/ingles/index.php

And do the "evaluacion docente", please. You create a password and it should take 20 mins.
Thank you.

Regards,
Beatriz

Blogging experience

Write about your blogging experience.

- Did you enjoy it? Why? Why not?

- Did it help you improve your English?

- Give your opinion of the advantages and disadvantages of blogging in the English class.

Minimum 280 words

Write 3 comments to any member of the class you wish.

Oral Interaction Language Test

Giving your opinion

Giving your opinion neutrally

"I think…."


"I feel that…."


"In my opinion…."


"As far as I'm concerned…."


"As I see it…."


"In my view…"

Giving a strong opinion


"I'm absolutely convinced that…."


"I'm sure that….."


"I strongly believe that…."


"I have no doubt that…"


ASKING for SOMEONE'S OPINION

"What do you think?"


"What's your view?"


"How do you see the situation?"

Agreeing and disagreeing
Agreeing

"I think you're right."
"I agree with you."


Strong agreement

"I couldn't agree with you more."
"You're absolutely right."
"I agree entirely."
"I totally agree."


Agreeing in part

"I agree with you up to a point, but..."
"That's quite true, but..."
"I agree with you in principle, but..."


Disagreeing

"I'm not sure I agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't agree."
"(I'm afraid) I disagree."
"(I'm afraid) I can't agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't share your opinion."

Note that when you disagree with someone, you can often sound
more polite by using a phrase such as "I'm afraid..."

Disagreeing strongly

"I don't agree at all."
"I totally disagree."
"I couldn't agree with you less."

Keeping a conversation going
Making comments

"No!" - to show surprise
"I don't believe it!" - to show surprise
"Wow!" - to show admiration or surprise
"That's incredible / amazing / unbelievable" - to show great
interest in the subject of conversation
"How awful / terrible" - to show sympathy with someone else's bad
news

Asking questions

"Really?" - to show surprise
"And you?" - when someone asks you how you are
"Did you?" - can be used to encourage someone to tell their story.

For example, "I saw her last night" "Did you?" "Yes, she was with one of her friends, and she...."

Rate it!

Today's task is to visit a classmate's blog and then write about it..


Post your review (220 words min.) on your blog with a picture that sums up how you felt when reading the blog:


Say:
Whose blog you are reviewing


What the blog is called

How many posts there are

Any particular features of the blog you like.


Which is your favourite post and why.


What aspect of English they should focus on more.


suggest one thing your classmate could do to improve their blog.

Remember your 3 comments on your classmates' blogs.

Final tests

Dear classmembers:
Remember next Friday we will have the last listening quiz. We will have the oral test(You will need a partner for this test )on July 2nd,and the written test on July 9. Next week we will practice for them.

Best regards,
Beatriz

Two choices

Hello guys:

Choose ONE of the following topics and write.

Choice I: An important event.

Write a report on the Chilean game against Honduras.
What were the strengths shown by Chileans?
What were the weaknesses?
Which players make it happen?
A comment on Honduras’s game.

240 words, 3 comments.

Choice II: Our culture

What makes Chileans, Chileans?
What are our main characteristics?
Do you feel there is a strong sense of identity in our country?
are we a nationalistic country? deeply rooted? When?

Develop any ideas on the topic.

240 words, 3 comments.

Dear all.
Today, I will not write or publish my favorite picture. Haven't got it nearby, sorry.

Write about a photograph you like.

Say:

Who took it
What it shows
When it was taken
Why you like it

Include any other information you think is important.
Write at least 250 words. OBVIOUSLY YOU SHOULD WRITE 3 COMMENTS ON YOUR CLASSMATES'S BLOGS. THANKS...

Talk Review

Talk Review


This week we are taking a look at the TED website: http://www.ted.com/.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

You have to visit it, watch Sir Ken Robinson's talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity" , NOT the latest one.

and then write a 230 words review.

1 comment on teacher's blog. 3 comments on classmates ,please. Talk Review

Good Technology

The word technology sometimes leads to confusion.

Actually many people think of computers or really funky machines when they come across it. The idea that a pen represented technology in the past or many other simple services created to satisfy people, does not really spring to mind at first.

To think of my favorite piece of technology is rather simple. I have two, though.
I think the first one if my mobile phone. That is for a very simple reason. I like the idea of integration. For me to have a camera, the music I like and a diary with the numbers of poeple I want to ring, is really good I can't believe I used to memorize so many numbers! My brain must be deteriorating big time nowadays. The best part of it is the organizer. This is the only way I get to pay bills on time, send "boletas" on certain dates, etc. I love it. I got it in 2007 and use it all the time.
The second item I'd like to mention is the external disc drive. I think when you have lost all your info because your PC died or because you got it stolen or whatever reason, it can be really tragic. That is why I learnt we need to save info on a safe place that "ideally" will not collapse or disappear. I have complete books, whole albums of good music, and lots of documents that have taken me hours to download or write myself and don't want to lose. I don't remember when I got this but long ago. Could I live without them? Hell yeah! I would have to get used to it, that's all.

Describe your favourite piece of Technology.
Say:

- How you got it
- How long you have used it
- How often you use it
- Why you like it

Describe how life would be without it (220 words minimum)1 comment on your teacher's blog and 3 Comments on your classmates'.

Task 1

I'd like to tell you about a wonderful place I visited in 2008. Actually, I think it is one of the most amzing places I have seen in the past few years, and it is just around the corner. I went there with my husband and my sister- in-law. I had to drive for around 9 hours to get there (neither of them felt like driving), but it was well worth it. The place is called Malalcahuello, but I think all the surroundings are quite impressive. This holiday was kind of nuts, but really nice. It was kind of crazy to travel with my sister-in-law for so many days. We camped, we stayed in hostels, we ate lovely food, we swam in lakes, we had fights, we met nice people and saw amazing deers, rabbits, foxes and birds.


This particular picture was taken on the way from Malacahuello to Corralco (a great national park) and it shows one of the many half- dead trees in the area. I believe the ninth region is really gorgeous. I am a big fan of green in the whole sense of the word. I was born in the south and maybe this is what makes me love this colour so much.


Write about a place in Chile that you enjoyed visiting. Upload a picture.
Say:


When you went there


Who you went with


What you did there


Why you like this place


(200-220 words)



Then write at least one comment on your teacher's blogs and three comments on your classmates' blogs

Two possibilities

Hello Guys:
Today you get the chance to choose between two different posts. Remember you will have to write more words every week.

Post 1
Write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting.

You should:

- provide a link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.

>Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs
>Word Count: 190 - 200

Post 2
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Say:

-Who she/he is.(very short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work, images if you like)
-What makes him/her special(This is the most relevant part).
-Include his/her image

> About 190 -200 words please
minimum 3 comments on your classmates' blogs

Favourite

Dear all:

Today you will write about art.

Who is your favourtite artist?

How did you get to know him/her?

What makes him/her special?

Write about some pieces of work you admire and why.


Remember not to answer the questions individually but as a whole text.

Write a minimum of 175 words. 4 comments on your classmates' blogs

BBC rocks

Dear students:
Do you know any brilliant English learning websites? I do. It's the BBC, and it rocks.

Today task is to visit:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/


Take a look around, You can have a look at "wordmaster", "beat the keeper", words in the news, pronunciation, face up to phrasal (very appropriate) or even watch the flatmates, to name but a few. (Use the headphones to listen)

Write at least 160 words please. Your opinion on the site in general. Specific activities.


Don't forget to post comments on at least 3 of your classmates blogs.

The problems when you don't speak English

27 th Feb 2010

Hello everybody:


Today we start writing about a fact that somehow changed the course of Chilean history.


February 27th 2010 (3:34:17)


Here you have some questions to look at and develop some ideas. Minimum 150 words.


Remember you cannot use translators. However, you can use a dictionary:
http://www.wordreference.com/

Where were you when it happened?


How did you feel?

How did you react?

How did the people around you react?


Others you could think of…


Did your property or your relatives’ suffer any damage?
Do you think this earthquake shook more than concrete structures?
How do you react now when there are aftershocks?
How has your conception of earthquakes changed after February 27th?



Add any other info you would like to.
Post 3 comments in your classmates’ blogs.

Let's get down to it!

Hello Everybody:



Welcome to the world of blogging in English. I will be asking you to write about different topics over the semester.



But first is first.



To begin with you need to create a gmail account. Then, go to blogger.com and follow the instructions. Please remember to change the language during set up so that your blog is in English.
1. If you have a google account: sign in first, if you don’t have a google account: create a google account
2. Go to: http://www.blogger.com/
3. Click: create your blog now
4. Name your blog
5. Choose any template you like
6. Go to dashboard, scroll down to the bottom of the page & change the language to English.
7. Go to customize, add a gadget, LINK LIST and add me and all your classmates.
8. Start posting (dashboard)


Today's task is simple. Write your first post. Write a little about yourself and what your expectations for this semester are. (70 words min.)