Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!

My (digital) Season's Greetings (using Google Maps Street View).

From Condeixa, a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!
Please click on the link below:

http://www.itsamessage.com/holiday2011/#bDE9TWVycnklMjBDaHJpc3RtYXMmbDI9ZXZlcnlvbmUhISEmcz1UZWFjaGVyJTIwQWxleCZhPUNvbmRlaXhhLWEtTm92YSUyQyUyMFBvcnR1Z2FsJmF1dG89MA==

Christmas Countdown 3

OMG, I've left everything to the last minute! Reading, baking, shopping, blogging...everything!
That's exactly why I like the internet so much - we can do stuff so much faster than before, don't you agree?
I'm planning to send Santa Claus some letters to try my luck with presents but first I'll try to strike up a conversation with him.

At http://www.santabot.com/ we / learners can chat with Santa forever! Not a single question goes unanswered, it's free online chat with Santa Claus.
Have a go or invite your kids / learners / students to practise their English during the Christmas break!

Now, letters!
Though this is the busiest time at the North Pole, be sure that Santa will answer evey single letter he gets.
I've followed all the steps and given the right email address and in the twinkling of an eye, my letter was answered (: For that I've used http://santa-at-home.com/writesanta.shtml and after reading the instructions you see below, you just have to scroll down and you'll find the electronic sheet of paper and the envelope for your letter.

and http://www.merry-christmas.com/santa/send-letter-to-santa

This last one is a very comprehensive website so be sure you / students don't miss the music, traditions or recipes. Yummy!!! 

Keep students entertained while practising and learning English!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Merry Christmas

Another year over and Christmas day has finally come!
Songs are just perfect for teaching English and do make students more familiar with English-speaking cultures. Whether timeless classics or modern favourites, the set of Christmas songs I've presented for the last 10 days can be used with different age groups and according to (y)our own purposes: either just for fun / for singing, as a way to introduce vocab and Christmas traditions, to raise awareness of the hardships others face in different parts of the world or even to discuss the real meaning of Christmas, the choice is (y)ours.
In my classes this year I used the song "All I want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey , and ended up asking my adult learners what they wanted for Christmas. The topic was "All I want for Christmas is..." and each student wrote their own wishes in one of the bubbles. Today's Christmas tree is the result from one of my groups.

Unfortunately, worldwide wishes are surely different from our own and though Christmas should always be a time of peace, love and family gathering, consider the following cartoon from The Independent.

This is clearly a comment on American gun culture especially now in the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that left 20 children and 6 adult staff members dead... yet, Americans still want more guns whereas in different places around the world (Aghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Syria???) children all want the same for this Christmas: an end to violence!

Hope there are "Christmas truces" in conflict-stricken countries so that at least all children can have a peaceful Christmas.
As for myself, all I want for Christmas is not at all material or that different from the children in the cartoon... all I want is peace, love and harmony. A cliché, perhaps yet so true and heartfelt.
From my family to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas!

1 Day

Only one day!!!
Today a Christmas song by a Portuguese singer...yep... and with a very different message to make us think about the true meaning of this festive season.

A'STSNA OSRSEIDPNE

Please check it here.

                                                             ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

2 Days

Wow! Only two days before Christmas!!!
Today's song is one of the most popular Christmas Carols: it was composed in 1818 in Austria and declared an intangible cultural heritage by the UNESCO in MArch 2011.

NEISLT ITGHN

Please check it here.

                                                               ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~



Song_1_Title

3 Days

Another (old) song but sung by a contemporary singer

NATAS LSUCA SI IGCMNO OT WONT

As usual, please check it here.



                                                   ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

4 Days

Only four days and Christmas is almost there.
A different song...

TILETL REMURDM YBO

Now please check it here.


                                                     ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

6 Days

What about this one? Who doesn't know it or any other version???

EWTHI SSAIMHCRT

Please check it here



                                                        ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

9 Days

Another song...

APYHP MSAITSHCR

Again: identify not only the song, singer(s) / band and  no cheating!

Please check it here.

                                                   ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

10 Days

10 days before Christmas and I've just made up my mind to start this year's countdown with... songs! That's right: famous Christmas songs that one way or the other can be used in our English classes. However, just as it always happens in our own classes, readers will always have to unscramble the letters in order to have the correct title of the song. Oh, and by the way... identify the singer / band, please, and, have some fun!

LAL I NTAW ORF TCSSRAIMH SI OYU

Please check the solution here but no cheating :=)

                                                 ~ Merry Christmas ~

1 day to Christmas - Happy Christmas

Wishing you ALL a Happy Christmas... and Happy Reading :)
                                                                   
                                                                         Teacher Alex