4º ESO english project 3 (2011-12) Cross-curricular project

You can see them sunbathing in Maspalomas or El Inglés, shopping in Triana, having a drink in local pubs ... Yes, they are TOURISTS. But, do you know anything about them? Do you know where they come from, or if it is their first time in the island? Do you know why they have decided to spend their holidays here? Well, with this project you will learn lots of things about the more than 10 million tourists who come to the Canary Islands every year.

tasks

1. Make teams of six.
2. Your teacher will give you a topic.
3. In class, make questions about that topic. Make sure people can understand what you are asking, and that you can pronounce all words.
4. On 9th February we'll go to Maspalomas, so that you can interview tourists. In Maspalomas, groups will be formed with one student from each team. You will be given about two hours to make interviews and write down the answers you get. The more interviews you do, the better! And extra marks will be given to students who record some of their interviews (you can use mobile phones, or MP3 players).
5. Back at school, you'll meet your team and prepare a presentation about your topic. You must include:
   
   

   aaaaWhat you have found out about your topic. Don't forget that your Maths teacher will also evaluate this project, so you should turn data into graphs, etc.

   What it can be done to boost and improve tourism. Analyse the answers you have got. Is there anything we can, should, must, mustn't do so that tourists know us better, and they decide to come back again in the future?

6. Write a script and hand it to your teacher the day of the presentation.

topics

	1. The place. You will have to learn why people decided to come here, whether it is their first time in the island, how long they are going to stay, etc.
	2. The accommodation. If this is your topic, you will have to ask where they are staying, why they chose that type of accommodation, etc.
	3. Moving around. Sometimes tourists just stay at their hotels and do not travel around. Make some questions to find out if they have, why or why not, which places they have been to, which museums they have visited, etc.
	4. Food. Fish, stews, papas con mojo, lots of different vegetables and fruit ... Canarian food is so varied that it is almost impossible not to like it. But what about tourists?
	5. Comparison to other places. They have probably been on holiday to other countries or places. If so, how do they compare to Gran Canaria? Are they more interesting, maybe cheaper?

evaluation
At the end of the project, you will be evaluated by your teacher and your classmates. We'll use these evaluation forms:

english teacher's
students'
maths

4º ESO passive voice review

Hi!
Here you can find some links to online activities for those who need to review the passive voice. You should only try those activities in Simple Present or Simple Past, as we have not practiced any other verb tenses.

Rewrite some given sentences in Simple Present passive voice.
Rewrite some given sentences in Simple Past passive voice.
Decide weather the sentences are written in Active or Passive.
Choose the Simple Past Active or Passive form of the verb to complete a sentence.
Different exercises at www.ego4u.com.

4º ESO writing an opinion essay

In an opinion essay, you present your personal opinion on a particular topic. Your opinion must be stated clearly and supported by justifications. Also, you can present an opposing viewpoint in a separate paragraph.

An opinion essay should consist of:

1. An introduction, in which you introduce the subject and state your opinion clearly.
2. A main body consisting of two or more paragraphs, in which you present your viewpoints supported by reasons or examples. You can also pressent opposing viewpoints in a different paragraph.
3. A conclusion, in which you restate your opinion.

To state your opinion, you can use one of these expressions:

I believe / think / feel (that) ...
In my opinion ...
I (strongly) disagree that / with ...
I (completely) agree that / with ...

Some other useful expressions

to list points	in the first place, to begin with
to add more points	moreover, also, in addition
to introduce opposing viewpoints	however
to introduce examples	for example, for instance, such as
to conclude	in conclusion, all things considered

An example:

Should Dangerous Sports Be Banned?

Today, many sports are being regulated to improve safety standards and to reduce injuries. But for some people this is not enough, and they would like to see some dangerous sports banned completely. In my opinion, they should not be banned.

To start with, a challenging sport provides a healthy, largely safe, physical outlet for aggression. There is no evidence to show that people who take part in dangerous sports become violent as a result. In fact, dangerous sports may act as a safety valve for a society by reducing stress.

Moreover, almost all sports involve some risk. There is almost no sport without danger, and, for example, even golf or jogging can lead to pain or injury. Without some elements of risk or challenge, sport becomes meaningless.

However, for some people dangerous sports such as boxing are nothing but an excuse for violence, and they think that the last thing an increasingly violent world needs is more violence on our television.

All things considered, I think our society would be healthier if more people took part in sports of all kinds, as long as they are challenging, exciting, and, above all, fun. So there is no need to ban any sport.

4º ESO english project 2 (2011-12)

gadgets
Do you know what a gadget is? Let's find out!

Look at these pictures. Can you guess what these objects are? What do you think they are used for?

Now ... here are their names to help you:

A gadget is an unusual, sometimes useful thing, that is not really necessary. Gadgets are interesting for their novelty rather than for their practical use.

In this project you will have to design your own gadget and present it to your class.

tasks

1. Make groups of three or four.
2. Use your imagination and design a gadget.
3. Present your gadget to the class. In the presentation you must include:
   
   

   aaaaWhat it is used for.aaaa

   How it works.

   What it is made of.

   How it was built.

4. Write a script and hand it to your teacher.

tips
Don't panic! You don't have to build a gadget, you just have to design one. So a drawing will be enough for the presentation. Or you may make a collage using cut up magazines.

Are you a Technology student? Then, instead of designing a gadget, you can use any project that you have made for that subject. You only have to follow the tasks above.

evaluation
At the end of the project, you will be evaluated by your teacher and your classmates. We'll use these evaluation forms:

teacher's
students'

4º ESO english project 1 (2011-12)

fashion and music

As different styles of music have become popular throughout history, some young people have responded by forming social groups whose activities are based around listening to that particular kind of music. They construct their identities around it, assuming certain fashions and attitudes.

During the 20th century, fashion was heavily influenced by music. Rock and roll, punk, hip hop, not only changed the way people acted; they also changed the way people dressed and did their hair.

In this project you will have to find some facts about a music/fashion style and present them to your class.

tasks

1. Make groups of three or four.
2. Choose a music/fashion style from the 20th century. You can choose from the list above.
3. Find information and pictures about it.
4. Make a a video or a powerpoint with your information. Appart from the description of some pictures, you also must include:
   
   

   History: . When, where and why did the music style / movement originate? . What was going on at the time (an overview on politics, music, sport, etc.)? . Did it have any social impact?

   People and fashion: . How did people who followed this style feel? What were they like? . What clothes and hairstyles did they use to wear?

   Present: . Is the style / movement popular today?

5. Write a script and hand it to your teacher.
6. Present your project to the class (presentation tips).

resources
You can find some information in the following links. Remeber that you can also go to Spanish websites, but then, you will need to translate into English the information you get.

music 1 music 2 fashion 1 fashion 2 fashion 3 history 1 history 2 history 3

And in wikipedia.org you can find whatever you need.

evaluation
At the end of the project, you will be evaluated by your teacher and your classmates. We'll use these evaluation forms:

teacher's
students'

english project 3 (2010-11)

Environmental problems

We all know the world has its problems, particularly where the environment is concerned. But not too many of us know the details, and the stories behind those problems. With this project you'll learn about some of them.

tasks

1. Make groups of three or four.
2. Choose an environmental problem from the resources list.
3. Find information about it.
4. Make a poster, a video or a powerpoint with your information. You must include:
   
   

   - information - Explain the problem with the help of pictures, diagrams, videos, etc. You may also need to explain the meaning of some words you are going to use.

   - tips to help solve the problem - Give advice and make rules using modal verbs.

   - an activity for your classmates - After your presentation, the rest of the class will have to show that they have understood it by doing an easy activity (say if some sentences are true or false, complete sentences with vocabulary from the presentation, match vocabulary to pictures, etc.).

   
   
5. Present your project to the class (presentation tips).

resources

Once you know which environmental problem you are going to work with, click on the numbers on the right to find information about it. All resources are in English. Remeber that you can also use Spanish websites, but then you'll have to translate the information you get!

4. air pollution	aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
   deforestation
   endangered animals
   energy consumption
   noise pollution
   overfishing
   overpopulation
   waste
   water pollution

evaluation

You will be evaluated by the teacher and your classmates, using these rubrics:

teacher
classmates