A tribute to Michael Jackson

"One picture is worth ten thousand words."
Chinese proverb


And now do these two exercises (a Listening and a Reading) to know a little bit more about the King of Pop. Adapted from Voa News and CNN News

How MINDMAPS can help you to learn a language

What's a mindmap?
A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. They hold information in a format that your mind finds easy to remember and quick to review. They help you to make associations easily. And if you find out more information after you have drawn the main Mind Map, then you can easily add it in. You can refresh information by glancing at it. As such, they engage much more of your brain in the process of assimilating and connecting facts, compared with conventional notes.

So how to draw a mindmap?
Start at the centre of your blank page.Imagine you want to learn the vocabulary related to cinema (as my own slide below). So your central concept is cinema, then draw branches that converge to the central theme, for example, cast, films,... and then connect subbranches to this, for example to films: action, adventure, love....
and so and so and your mindmap builds and builds and your language learning gets better and better. Remember
have one word per branch,
use images and symbols (even if you are not an artist) and use colours

Watch and listen to Tony Buzan, the man who has popularized mindmaps, have a look at my first attempt and try to draw your own.

Mindmap Cinema

View more OpenOffice presentations from rrrosaco.

And read this interesting article about mindmaps and dyslexic people

Learning English

Well people, the course has just fisnished and summer is just round the corner. Most of you have passed but that doesn't mean everything is over; quite the opposite, now it's time to have some discipline and try to study a little bit during our summer holidays. Teacherfred, who I met the other day on the net, says something quite interesting about learning a skill.


Does this sound familiar to you?. Let's start by doing an exercise
to test if you have understood Teacherfred.
Anyway, the net is full of resources to practise all the different skills. Laura in Guía has written a fab post to keep your English alive this summer. Visit it.

Tony's awards

The Tony's awards are regarded as the theatre's equivalent to the Oscars. The annual awards were established in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing and are intended to recognize excellence in plays and musicals staged on Broadway. Awards are given for best play, best musical, best play revival, and best musical revival, and in categories such as acting, directing, music, choreography, set design, and costume design.
This 63rd edition was presented on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. "Billy Elliot, the musical" swept, winning 10 awards. The musical which is based on the film with the same name, tells the story of a ballet dancing schoolboy in a mining town in northern England. Elton John, who suggested the film be adapted for theatre, wrote the music for the production.
Click here if you want to know more or watch the video below to listen to one of the fabulous songs of this musical.

Thank you

I want to thank every one of my students who I have shared this year with. It has been really great to know you and I wish you all the very best.
I also want to share this wonderful Chinese story my friend Norberto told me some years ago. I hope you enjoy it.

The Wise Teacher and the Jar

Publish at Scribd or explore others: tales Story

I'D LIKE TO KNOW YOUR OPINION ABOUT THIS STORY
use your artistic name

Susan Boyle, right or wrong result?

"Susan Boyle is still a "winner" despite coming second in the final of Britain's Got Talent, said Scotland's first minister.

The debate is open. Should she have won? Apart from the critics and cynics, she has become a social phenomenon in only seven weeks. Only on Saturday night, the final was watched by an audience of more than 18 million. But who has won here? Many, not only her.

Here are some comments from British and American people:

"The irresponsible media that do nothing but play on people like victims for their own benefit to selling papers,capturing media time and scandalizing the hard working efforts of in this case a person who sacrificed and has had one load of issues in life to get through.She's a real winner for sure. She will succeed and she is the winner and the media loses once again to it's pathetic and horrific scum attitude".

"I really wanted Susan Boyle to win as she has a great voice and I got goose bumps when she sang. I think that it was a shame that the bad press she got before the final influenced people to vote for someone less deserving in my opinion".

"Susan was brilliant, despite being a victim of a hate campaign started by the media and papers. Please stop it everyone".

"Susan won a lot of people's hearts. She had none of the back up other acts had. Please stop putting her down".

"Susan Boyle is a gifted singer".

"Susan should have won the competition. Susan's voice is a gift that most people study professionally and academically to achieve. Best wishes to Susan, her dream has been achieved".

"Susan will be in my heart forever!!! It does not matter that she lost!!!! She won big over Diversity!!!! People are stupid!!! Dancers around the world can dance lake them, but Susan is special!!!!! I am very disappointed with these shows!!! I have the feeling that the results are manipulated!!!"


When she first came on stage she said she'd like to be a professional singer and as successful as Elaine Page. Here you have an interview with Elaine Page and what she thinks about it.
Try to do the quizz to test your listening skill

ELAINE PAGE » Make A Quiz