Linguistic blog. Cefire de Elda

This is a tool to help teachers, and a way of spreading news and a meeting point for new ideas.

Click on this link: http://linguelda.blogspot.com/

English Elda

Blog to learn English from Cefire de Elda.

Click on this link: http://paleeldaclil.blogspot.com/

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure

JK Rowling's talk at Harvard University.

At her Harvard University commencement speech, "Harry Potter" author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems "worth more than any qualification I ever earned."

Watch the video: http://harvardmagazine.com/commencement/the-fringe-benefits-failure-the-importance-imagination

Quote of the week

Failure is success if we learn from it.
Malcolm Forbes

We don't need no education lyrics

Pink Floyd - We Don't Need No Education

You, Yes You, Stand Still Laddie!

When we grew up and went to school, there were certain teachers who would hurt the children anyway they could
by pouring their derision upon anything we did
exposing any weakness however carefully hidden by the kids.

Out in the middle of nowhere they were home at night
their fat and psychopathic wives
Would thrash them within inches of their lives!

ooooooooooooo, oooooooo, ooooooooooo, ooooooooo, ooooooooo, ooooooooo,oooo.

We don't need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

(A bunch of kids singing) We don't need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Spoken:
"Wrong, Guess again!
Wrong, Guess again!
If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding.
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?
You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddie!"



Listen to the song: http://www.goear.com/listen/e28f46d/another-brick-in-the-wall-%28part-2%29-pink-floyd

Another brick in the wall

"Another Brick in the Wall" is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera, The Wall, subtitled Part I (work title Reminiscing) , Part II (work title Education), and Part III (work title Drugs), respectively, all of which were written by Pink Floyd's bassist and then lead songwriter, Roger Waters. It has become one of the most famous Pink Floyd songs.

Part II is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding schools in particular, which has led to the song being banned in South Africa. It was also released as a single and provided the band's only number one hit in the UK, the US, West Germany and many other countries. In the UK, it was their first single since 1968's "Point Me at the Sky", the song was also the final number one single of the 1970s. For Part II, Pink Floyd received a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group and lost to Bob Seger's "Against the Wind". In addition, Part II was number 375 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. The single sold over 4 million copies worldwide. In Israel Part II was chosen as the best rock song of the 1980s (although it was issued before 1980), in a survey by one of the main radio stations Israel Army Radio held at the end of 1989.^{[citation needed]}

The single, as well as the album The Wall, were banned in South Africa in 1980 after the song was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting racial inequities in education.

Composition

In the album version of The Wall, "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" taken out from "The Happiest Days of Our Lives", with a trademark Roger Waters scream. The song has strong drums, a well-known bass line and distinctive guitar parts in the background with a smooth, yet edgy guitar solo. The song also features a group of school children for lead vocals in the second verse: as the song ends, the sounds of a school yard are heard, along with the teacher who continues to lord it over the children's lives by shouting such things as "Wrong! Do it again!" which somehow sounds mocking, and "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?!", and "You! Yes! You behind the bikesheds! Stand still, laddie!", all of it dissolving into the dull drone of a phone ringing and ending with a deep sigh.

School choir

For "Part II", Pink Floyd needed a school choir, and producer Bob Ezrin requested that sound engineer Nick Griffiths find one. Griffiths approached music teacher Alun Renshaw of Islington Green School, around the corner from their Britannia Row Studios. Though the school received a lump sum payment of £1000, there was no contractual arrangement for royalties from record sales. Under 1996 UK copyright law, they became eligible for royalties from broadcasts, and after royalties agent Peter Rowan traced choir members through the website Friends Reunited and other means, they claimed their payments. Contrary to press reports, this did not involve suing Pink Floyd. Music industry professionals estimated that each student would be owed around £500.

Plot

After being insulted by the teacher, Pink dreams that the kids in his school begin to protest against their abusive teachers.

Film version

Following "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" Pink starts to daydream during his class. He imagines several students marching in unison to the beat of the song, following a path until they fall blindly into an oversized meat-grinder to re-emerge as putty-faced clones void of individual distinction. Starting with Gilmour's guitar solo, the children destroy the school building using hammers (foreshadowing the subsequent neo-fascist Nazi-like animated sequence with its marching hammers) and crowbars, creating a bonfire, dragging their teacher out of the burning school kicking and screaming. The song ends with Pink rubbing his hand, which the teacher slapped with a ruler in the previous song.

During the song, the teacher's "meat and pudding" lines are folded into the first few lines of the school choir's lines, and are performed by the teacher in the film, played by Alex McAvoy.

Music video

Prior to the film, the first video for the track, directed by Alan Parker, depicted students running in a playground and the teacher puppet from The Wall concerts was used. The video also mixed in some animated scenes later used in "The Trial" and "Waiting for the Worms". The children who sang on "Another Brick in the Wall (Pt. II)" were not allowed to appear in the video as they didn't hold Equity Cards.

Once the film was completed, the actual scenes of "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" were combined into a new video, which now represents the music video for "Another Brick in the Wall".

Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3_NuWb9r2A

Rainford High Technology College

Here you have a website of an English high school in the U.K. You can see how they work and the activities they organise.

http://www.rainford.org.uk/

Introduction to A-Levels

The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, universally referred to as an A-level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and by a small minority of institutions, typically private, in Scotland. (In Scotland, students usually take Highers and Advanced Highers of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead). A levels are usually studied over a two year period and are widely recognised around the world, as well as being the standard entry qualification for assessing the suitability of applicants for academic courses in UK Universities.

You can get more information in the following links:

http://www.a-levels.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCE_Advanced_Level

Education

Click on this link and you will have some information about the English education system and the UK national curriculum.

http://www.tda.gov.uk/teachers/overseas_trained_teachers/english_education_system.aspx

Quote of the week

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

William Butler Yeats

Work before playing

Reading and listening (pre-intermediate)

Go to this link:

http://hotenglishmagazine.com/newsletter-subscribers.php

and click on the following:

This Week

Week 68 - 02/09/10: PDF #1 MP3 #1

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

You can find some more information on this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day

There is also a film based on this tradition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_%28film%29

Breaking News English

EFL / ESL English Lesson Plans & Podcast for studying Current Events and News.
Thousands of FREE 13-page, Ready-to-Print Handouts with Downloads & Quizzes.
Keep up with the news and learn English - Reading, Writing, Listening & Speaking.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/index.html

I hope you enjoy it. :-)

Quote of the week

Leave something good in every day.

Dolly Parton

A Card for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day Cards

Cards are a celebrated symbol of Valentine's Day. Everyone from young to old, make an expression of love through a beautiful and heartfelt Valentine's Day Card. Little wonder, that after Christmas Valentine's Day is a the second largest card-giving holiday in US. In India too, popularity of Valentine Cards is increasing every year. Some may be surprised to know that a greater percentage of Valentine's Day Greetings are exchanged between non-romantic relations. In order of popularity Valentine Day Cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives and sweethearts. Women receive a little over half the Valentine's Day cards exchanged on the occasion. In present time, Valentine's Day E-Cards is very much in vogue because of their cost-effectiveness, instantaneous delivery and massive use of Internet technology.

Valentines Day Card History
Tradition of exchanging Valentine's Day Cards is said to have begun as early as 1400's. Credit for the first written Valentine's Day Card is given to Charles - Duke of Orleans, who following capture at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, wrote a poem to his wife while imprisonment in the Tower of London. The greeting has been preserved by British Library.

The custom of sending cards on Valentines Day picked up by the 16th century and by 18th century Valentine's Day Cards began to be manufactured on a large scale. Introduction of Penny Post and improved printing technology made cards affordable for general public and helped to increase the popularity of cards. Valentine's Day cards adorned with traditional symbols like Cupid, hearts and roses instantly caught the fancy of love struck. In early 1800s factory workers made Valentine Cards by painting black and white pictures. Esther Howland, a young woman from Massachusetts is recognized as the first regular publisher of valentines in the United States. Esther sold her first handmade Valentine in 1849. This proved to be a stepping stone to a successful publishing firm specializing in elaborately decorated cards. By the end of the century, the cards were manufactured by machines and were adorned with flowers, gold leaf, satin and lace. In early 1900's a card company called Norcross - began to manufacture Valentines Day Cards. Several others followed and the popularity of the cards soared over the years.

Valentine's Day Card Ideas
Here are some tips and ideas to help you gift a perfect Valentine's Day Card to your beloved:

• Buy cards in time so that you have may select the card with ease. If you are good at painting you may also make a handmade Valentine's Day Card
• Write a verse or poem on the blank side. If you have a creative bent, a better idea would be compose your own lines, else quote a line that reflects your true feelings.
• Paste a picture of your beloved or a picture of you and your Valentine together to recreate good times spent in the past.
• List out reasons why you love your Valentine and write them in detail. Include specific memories and instances when he or she touched your heart.
• Spray a little perfume in the card to charm your sweetheart.
• Accompany the card with a bouquet of fresh flowers and a thoughtful gift.

Useful Links

Valentines Day Greetings - Free Valentines Day Greeting Cards, Egreetings

Free Valentines Day Cards - Valentines day ! Express your love to your sweetheart valentine or to your friends on this Valentines day through our unique valentines day cards and ecard and make them feel special on this Valentines Day.

Free Valentine Day E-Cards - Cards are the medium to express your love and warmth, specially on the occasion like Valentine's Day. Send free romantic ecards, ekisses, ehugs and lots of other ecards to your sweetheart and express your love.

Free love ecards from www.hugsnkiss.com - Make your beloved feel special with romantic ecards

Legends of St Valentine

Legends of St Valentine's Day

There are various popular and interesting legends of St Valentine's Day. Some legends trace the origin of Valentine's Day to pagan times while others link it one or more Saints of early Christian Church. Yet another point of view on the origin of Valentine's Day links it to the beginning of birds mating season. Popularity of the festival is perhaps due to the combined effect of all these legends along with the notion that spring is the time for love.

Some famous legends of Valentine's day are:
Feast of Lupercalia
Saint Valentine of Rome - I
Saint Valentine of Rome - II
Birds Mating Time

Feast of Lupercalia
Several historians trace the origin of Valentine's Day to pagan times in ancient Roman Empire. In those times, people organized a holiday on February 14 to honor Juno - the mythological Queen of Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also regarded Juno as the Goddess of Women and Marriage. From the following day - February 15 started the Fertility Festival called the Feast of Lupercalia. This feast was organized to protect humans from wolves and to honor the Roman Gods of Agriculture - Lupercus and Faunus besides the founders of Rome - Romulus and Remus. During the Feast of Lupecalia, members of Lupercali - an order of the Roman priest used to gather in a sacred cave where Romulus and Remus were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. Following the tradition, the priest would sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification. Boys would slice the goats hide into strips, dipped them in sacrificial blood and move about the streets gently slapping women and fields with the animal hide. Womenfolk gladly received a slap, as they believed that the practice would make them more fertile. Later, during the Feast of Lupecalia, all the young women in the city would place a chit of their name in a big urn. Bachelors in the city would each then take a chit out of the urn and became paired for the girl whose name was on the chit for the rest of the year. Quite often, the paired couple would fall in love and marry.

Later, when Christianity spread through Rome, the practice of finding mate through ‘lottery' was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Around 498 AD, Pope Gelasius is said to have declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day. Some writers link Valentine's Day with Feast of Lupercalia because of similar date and connection with fertility.

Legends of Saint Valentine
Early Christian Church indicates the presence of at least two saints names Valentine. Some scholars however, says that there were as many as seven saints credited with the name of Saint Valentine or Valentinus all of whom lived in the Third Century and apparently died on the same day. Given here are some of the most popular of all legends of Saint Valentine:

Saint Valentine of Rome - I
According to one very popular legend, Valentine was a priest in Rome who lived during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Under his regime, Claudius is said to have engaged Rome into several bloody battles. To strengthen his army, the Emperor continuously needed to recruit soldiers. However, Claudius found that not many soldiers were keen to join the army because of attachment with their wives and families. In order to sever the bond of attachment, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine - a romantic at heart priest, defied this callous decree of Claudius by secretly arranging marriages of young men and women. When Valentine's defiance was discovered by the Emperor, he was brutally beaten up and put to death on February 14, about 270 AD.

For his martyrdom and dedication for the cause Valentine was name a Saint after his death. By Middle Ages, Saint Valentine became popular as the patron saint of love and lovers in England and France to the extent that Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as Valentine's Day on 498 AD and put an end to pagan celebrations. Thus, Saint Valentine's martyrdom day became an occasion to celebrate love.

Saint Valentine of Rome - II
Another famous legend on Saint Valentine states Valentine was an early Christian in Rome who was very popular amongst children. But during the time when Valentine lived, Roman regime was not in favour of Christianity and it even persecuted Christians to make Rome free of the followers of Christianity. In spite of this strict law, Valentine continued to practice his faith and refused to worship Roman Gods. This enraged Emperor Claudius II and he put Valentine into prison.

Valentine is said to have spent a year in rigorous imprisonment during which he was missed a lot by children. They began to toss loving notes and flowers between the bars of his cell window. To an extent, this legend may explain the tradition of exchanging notes and flowers on Valentine's Day.

Some scholars believe that during his stay in prison Valentine made friends with jailer's blind daughter who at times brought to him notes and flowers from children. Whenever, possible Valentine also replied to the notes. Days before his execution, Valentine prayed for the jailer's daughter and she regained her sight. Before his death, Valentine is also said to have written a farewell note for the jailer's daughter and signed it "From Your Valentine”. This expression is popular even till date.

Some scholars believe that Valentine was killed because he tried to help Christians escape from the Roman prison as they were being tortured and beaten. Yet another set of scholars say Emperor Claudius II was impressed by Valentine's kindness and good behavior. He even stated that Valentine could be freed if he agreed to worship Roman Gods. Valentine not just refused he even tried to convert Emperor to Christianity. This made Claudius very angry and he ordered his execution. Valentine was beheaded on February 14.

Birds Mating Time
During the Middle Ages, people in England and France held a popular belief that birds started to look for a mate from February 14. This popular notion further strengthened the idea that Valentine's Day festival that falls in the middle of February should be celebrated as the day of love and romance. The concept soon gained ground amongst the lovers and they began to celebrate the day by exchanging love notes and simple gifts like flower.

Saint Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victorian Valentine's Card
Also called	Saint Valentine's Day Valentine's
Observed by	Many countries
Type	Christian, cultural
Significance	Love and affection celebrated between lovers
Date	February 14
Observances	Sending greeting cards and gifts, dating

Saint Valentine's Day (commonly simply Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when thttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Dayhe tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Sting: a song

Fields of Gold

Many years have passed
since those summer days.
Among the Fields of Barley.

See the children run
as the sun goes down.
Among the Fields of Gold.

Which version do you prefer, Eva Cassidy's one or Sting's?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcRiN5sqF9c

Eva Cassidy: a song

Fields of Gold

I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We will walk in fields of gold
We'll walk in fields of gold

WHAT ARE "FIELDS OF GOLD" FOR YOU?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZg-4htrzOk

Music in our lives

Eva Cassidy

Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996. Although she had been honored by the Washington Area Music Association, she was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, DC when she died of melanoma in 1996.

Four years later, Cassidy's music was brought to the attention of British audiences when her version of "Over the Rainbow" was played by Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Following the overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of "Over the Rainbow", taken at the Blues Alley, was shown on BBC Two's Top of the Pops 2. Shortly afterwards, the compilation album Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Charts, almost three years after its initial release. The chart success in the United Kingdom and Ireland led to increased recognition worldwide; as of 2008 her posthumously released recordings, including three UK #1s, have sold around eight million copies.^[1] Her music has also charted top 10 positions in Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland.^[2]

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Cassidy

Resources

DICTIONARIES

www.wordreference.com
www.askoxford.com (Online Oxford dictionary)
www.facstuff.bucknell.edu (Website of online dictionaries)
www.encarta.msn.com (Encarta encyclopaedia homepage)

NEWS / MEDIA

www.breakingnewsenglish.com (Ready-to-use reading texts with activities)
http://eslus.com/esl/resource.htm (A reference guide to news websites for ESL)
www.bbc.co.uk/
www.cnn.com

READING RESOURCES

www.poemhunter.com (Links to a wide range of poems)
www.ipl.org/div/reading (Collection of book, magazines and newspapers)
www.ananova.com/news/lp.html?keywords=Quirkies (Quirky news stories for higher levels)
www.l-language.com (ESL reading library)
www.eslgold.com (Reading activities for different levels)

WRITING RESOURCES

www.iteslj.org/links/ESL/Writing (Activities and examples of general and business writing)
www.bogglesworld.com/lessons/2002mar.htm (Students examine issues and are asked to write about them in clear, logical manner)
www.esl.about.com/od/writinginenglish (English writing skills including formal and informal style and free lesson plans)

LISTENING RESOURCES

www.esl-lab.com (Self study listening activites)
www.eslhome.com/esl/listen (Authentic and semi-authentic listening resources)
www.esl.about.com/cs/listening (Listening quizzes and interview)
www.eslgold.com/listening.html (Listening activities for everyday situations)
http://video.about.com/ and http://www.videojug.com/ (Short videos with transcripts)
http://www.eslvideo.com (short videos with comprehension questions but without scripts)

STUDENTS RESOURCES

www.bbc.co.uk/wordlservice/learningenglish (News, quizzes, business, grammar and listening activitites)
www.puzzlemaker.com (Puzzle generation tool)
www.a4esl.org (Quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles)
www.manythings.org (A fun study site including word games, puzzles, quizzes and exercises)
www.englishclub.com (Lessons, games and quizzes)