Monday 31 October 2011

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!


Photos from Corbis.com


WISHING YOU ALL THE SPOOKIEST AND FUNNIEST HALLOWEEN EVER!


HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!






Have some Halloween fun! Visit the following websites and play some games and watch some spooky cartoons!

GAMES:

Hidden Spirits: Paranormal Investigation Halloween Game




HALLOWEEN ACTION GAMES (collection)

VIDEOS:
THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN       -   HALLOWEEN'S ORIGINS

GHOST STORIES (with audio):

THE TELL-TALE HEART , THE BLACK CAT  and  THE RAVEN by Edgar Allan Poe


THE RAVEN Interpreted by Christopher Walker (YouTube video)

TIM BURTON'S VINCENT  (YouTube video)

HALLOWEEN GHOST STORIES (several authors)

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO WAS FORGOTTEN by Katy Towell:





   HAPPY HAUNTING HALLOWE'EN!   

Tuesday 13 September 2011

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!




Summer holidays are definitely over! Are you ready for school? We certainly hope so!

Participate by posting on our blog and you can send your teacher blog posting material (music, videos, photos, texts, etc) to share with us all on this blog!

Welcome back to school! Welcome to our English@ Big Ben Blog!

Friday 1 April 2011

Happy April Fools' Day!



April Fools' Day is on 1 April every year in many countries. 
On this day, practical jokes (or April Fools) are played on friends and family. The jokes are done to embarrass them.
What about you? Have you been fooled today?
Check out some harmless pranks at this website: April Fool Zone! HAVE LOADS OF (SAFE) FUN!

Sunday 20 March 2011

SPRING IS HERE!

The beginning of Spring is marked by the March equinox, which this year occurs today, March 20th, at precisely 23:21h. On the day of the equinox, the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal in all parts of the world. After that, the days grow longer, the weather gets warmer and summer holidays are just around the corner (well, almost!).
So, make the most of springtime, take advantage of the weather to get out of the house more and have a great spring!

Spring Is Here

Wednesday 16 March 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It is said that on St. Patrick’s Day everyone is Irish! The day is celebrated worldwide with shamrocks, parades and green beer!

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon and because it was a religious holiday, the pubs weren't even allowed to open. 
Nowadays, the day is celebrated with parades (the biggest productions are held in the United States), eating Irish food, drinking green bear and wearing green clothes and accessories. Common symbols of St. Patrick's Day are the shamrock and leprechauns, both of which are associated with Irish history.

Check out this ITN story and get a glimpse of what a St. Patrick's Day parade can look like in the UK.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqqehfbqFPs
 May the luck of the Irish be yours today!

Tuesday 8 March 2011

In 2011 Pancake Day is on Tuesday 8 March

Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. It is traditional on this day to eat pancakes.
Why are Pancakes eaten on Shrove Tuesday?
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between 3rd February and 9th March.
On this day, pancake races are held all over England. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first whilst flipping a pancake in a frying pan a pre-decided number of times. The skill lies not so much in the running of the race but in flipping and catching the pancake, which must be intact when the finishing line is reached.
The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney. According to tradition, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and ran to the church in her apron, still clutching her frying pan.

Watch the following video. Would you be able to do it?

(check http://projectbritain.com for more information)

Friday 18 February 2011

PLANET ENGLISH: English is everywhere!

The title says it all: English is everywhere you look, listen, shop, work and walk your dog. Speakers of English as either a first (L1) or second language (L2) comprise 27% of our world’s population. Non-native speakers currently outnumber native speakers by a ratio of three to one. 
Planet English is indeed expanding – and quickly! But why? 
The following infographic explores a few of the reasons underlying the proliferation of English speakers. If you are an ESL or EFL learner, what motivates you to learn the English language?

Sunday 13 February 2011

The History of Valentine's Day, part 2!

Watch this animated retelling of St. Valentine's Day legend. Does anything sound familiar?


Saturday 12 February 2011

The History of Valentine's Day

What do you actually know about Saint Valentine's Day?


Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? 
Watch the video below in order to find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.

Thursday 3 February 2011

WHEN WORDS HAVE A REAL MEANING!

Follow the link to the video of the hunter who does not want to shoot the bear. What else can he do? Just write anything with your keyboard and play it. Use your imagination and have fun. For the hunter and the bear, your wish will be their command!






Monday 31 January 2011

WHY LEARN A SECOND LANGUAGE?

Why are you learning a second language?
Check the presentation below. Are these reasons you own for learning English?

Wednesday 26 January 2011

World Englishes: 30 countries with a million English speakers

Watch the video and listen to its song about 30 countries with about a million (or more) speakers of English. 
This video shows the vast spread of the British Empire and the legacy of the English language.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

HAPPY WIKI BIRTHDAY! ;-)


Source:  The Economist

 Did you know that Wikipedia has just celebrated its 10th birthday?

Today, Wikipedia contains over 17 million articles across all languages.

Its 17 million articles (over 3.5 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Are you in need of a translator? ;-)

How good are you at speaking foreign languages? What languages can you speak?
Watch Catherine Tate translating into "7 languages" in this hilarious sketch...

Friday 14 January 2011

Do you know your slang?

British and American English do not differ only by the accent. Their slang is also very much a cultural thing, as you may notice on this video of Hugh Laurie and Ellen DeGeneres.

What slang do you know? If you want to speak "cool" and learn a few "hip" words, check the Urban Dictionary.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Doing Research for an English Project? Make it Simple!

Image from CORBIS.COM
Are you working on a project for your English class?
Do you need to have some research done on a particular topic? 
Does the amount of information used in encyclopedias overwhelm you? 
Then the Simple English Wikipedia is for you!


Simple English Wikipedia is a good resource for less intensive searches. Children and non-English speakers, especially people who are learning English, can give this simpler version of Wikipedia a read. 
The Simple English Wikipedia is for everyone! Simple English words and grammar are used, as well as shorter sentences. This lets people who know little English understand the content.




Another interesting online resource is Ten Word Wiki.
If you are searching for a Wikipedia that’s even simpler than the Simple English Wikipedia, go to Tenwordwiki.com
This site helps you to find facts and meanings in exactly ten words. You can think of it as the Twitter equivalent of WikipediaTenwordwiki.com shows you that sometimes information can also be given with a bit of humour.




Tuesday 11 January 2011

Can learning a foreign language save your life?

What do you think? Can learning a foreign language really save your life?


How important is learning languages for your future?

Learning Languages...

Do You Speak English? 

Have you paid attention to language learning at school?
How many languages do YOU speak?  
Leave your comment here!

Sunday 9 January 2011

ENGLISH, A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

As a student of English, have you ever wondered why English is such a global language? Do you think that learning English will be important in your future life?