Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Arctic: Life in the Deep Freeze


Human Planet is a British television documentary series produced by the BBC with co-production from Discovery and BBC Worldwide. It describes the human species and its relationship with the natural world by showing the remarkable ways humans have adapted to life in every environment on Earth.


After watching the episode Arctic: Life in the Deep Freeze, now it's time to check your answers to the questions discussed in class, so click on the link below to find out!

Answers to the comprehension questions

And if you'd like to watch the Human Planet documentaries online, check out this link:


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Some Thoughts Inspired by Garry Winogrand's Images


Here follow the minitales, or perhaps better called literary thoughts, inspired by some of Garry Winogrand's images.Thanks Estrella and Carlos for your engaging words.

Sunset,
She is coupled
By the solitude of stuffed animals,
No one stops ...
With a smile in her eyes,
Camouflages her bad luck
By Estrella Gómez

And me...when is my turn? I'm tired of being the third wheel during their date!!

By Estrella Gómez

The American dream flies by

By Carlos Estangüi

And now a few more words about the collection of photographies displayed in the exhibit: For those who didn't get the chance to go see it yet, check out the review written by a former student and still friend, Carlos Estangüi:



Sunday, April 12, 2015

Julio's Workout Session this Coming Thursday!


Dear all,

Julio sent us these tunes to get into the mood for exercising! This is the music we're going to hear as we struggle to follow his workout, ok? We're going to have a 15-minute-session for all types of audience, so no need to be in any special physical conditions, and no need to wear a tracksuit either, some comfortable clothes will do!

Tessellate
Elastic heart
The Life of the Party

Also, check out the lyrics below. Thanks Julio!

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Our Literary Club: The Swimmer by John Cheever, April 13th through 16th


"The Swimmer", a short story by American author John Cheever, was originally published in The New Yorker on July 18, 1964. Originally conceived as a novel, it is probably Cheever's most famous and frequently anthologized story. At one point Cheever wanted to parallel the tale of Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who died while staring at his own reflection in a pool of water. Later he dismissed this as too restrictive: His story explores suburban America, especially the relationship between wealth and happiness. As published, the story was highly praised for its blend of realism and surrealism, as well as his use of myth and symbolism. A twenty-page-long story with a whole inner world in it for you to discover.

This American literary classic has been selected from the school library by two keen readers in the NA1B class, Melissa and Laura, I would like to thank them for their willing cooperation, and great ideas. They will be running our next literary club, to be held the second week of April, together with the teacher.

Find below the pdf with the short story and a complete glossary of words and expressions in it.

The Swimmer by John Cheever

These are the first two questions posed by your fellow students. You will have to think about them as you read:

1) How is Neddy presented at the beginning and the end of the story?
2) What do the pools and the storm represent in Neddy's life?

Friday, March 13, 2015

Could Art Turn the World Inside Out?



Now that we have just finished the unit of Art, I would like to present to you one of the most stimulating photographers I have recently known: He's a French guy called JR, and he has described himself as a photograffeur (a photographer with a touch of graffiti in his art). He was awarded the TED prize back in 2011 for his inspiring work which he has spread all over the planet. JR's work combines art and action, and deals with commitment, freedom, identity, and limits. Check out his talk in TED: Could art actually change the world?

JR photograffeur wins the TED prize

I would like to say thanks to my former student and photographer Carlos Crespo for sharing JR's art with me, and with you.

Monday, March 9, 2015

BritArt: Banksy is Back In Town!



Banksy is a pseudonymus England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. To see a slideshow of his best creations, click on the link below, and then watch the video to hear more about his last exhibit in the Bristol City Museum, and complete the quiz questions to test your understanding.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Dido's Lament



The painting above depicts the Death of Dido, and was painted by the British painter Thomas Robson (1798-1871). After hearing Diana's presentation on this doomed love story between Dido and Aeneas, we can understand the sensuality and passion that lie behind, can't we? You are invited to listen to Dido's last aria in Purcell's famous opera Dido and Aeneas. May this beautiful music serve to rest our minds after the mid-year exams strain. Thanks Diana!


Saturday, January 31, 2015

Let's Do Some Workout!



Here follows the presentation on different workouts Julio gave in class last week. Thanks a lot Julio for your work, this is a great review of vocabulary related to body and motion, and lots of fun too!
Remember we are going to have a real workout session in class, sometime after the mid-year exams, so get your tracksuits ready!

Friday, January 23, 2015

From Mardi Gras to Cherrygoats

This is the celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, its history and people:


And this is what we have right across the Atlantic, in Cádiz:


Coming up soon in EOI Pinto: Cherrygoats...  Cherrygoats you said? Yup, cherrygoats! But what the heck is that?

Monday, January 12, 2015

Science Fiction Has Arrived: Cloze Test


Shortly before Christmas we read and discussed about Technology 2.0. and its latest developments, some of them being totally mind-blowing to me -and others in class.
Just a few days ago we could all see on the News the highlights of the world's most important consumer electronics tradeshow which takes place every January in Las Vegas: The International CES.

Out of all the innovations they could possibly show for the consumers to buy, here's my proposal: if a smart stove could suggest recipes to suit your mood that day, would you buy it?