Saturday, 3 March 2018

European sustainability vs food waste: Erasmus+ Project



Plastics are important for our economy. In the EU, industry figures indicate that the plastics sector employs 1.5 million people and generates a turnover of 340 billion EUR. However, today around 25.8 million tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste are generated in Europe every year, and of this less than 10% is actually re-injected into the economy. According to estimates, 95% of plastic packaging material value, i.e. up to 105 billion euros annually, is lost after a very short first-use cycle. Globally, up to 10 million tons of plastics leak into the environment every year, generating significant economic and environmental damage. According to the often quoted estimate, by 2050 there will be more plastic waste than fish in the oceans. Economic costs for coastal and beach cleaning across the EU were assessed to reach almost 630 million EUR per year. So, what's next for the EU? Design & Production: more durability, reuse and high-quality recycling, all plastic packaging designed to be recyclable by 2030, and promotion of alternatives to single use plastic items. Recycling: more sorting, better recycling, and 200,000 new jobs in Europe. From waste to resource-improve cooperation between different players in the plastics value-chain: products to be designed for recycling and re-use, infrastructure for collection and sorting improved, plus new quality and safety standards.



Great chance to practise languages: Interrail

Commission to provide travel opportunities with educational and cultural value for young people

The European Commission has today taken first steps to implement the European Parliament's proposal for a "Free Interrail pass for Europeans turning 18" by adopting a Financing Decision. With a budget of EUR 12 million in 2018, this action is expected to give an estimated 20,000-30,000 young people a travel experience that would help foster a European identity, reinforce common European values and promote the discovery of European sites and cultures. This proposal fits well with the EU's ambitions to promote learning mobility, active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity of all young people. Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, said: "It is important that we offer all our young people the opportunity to broaden their horizons by experiencing other countries. Education is not only about what we learn in the classroom, but what we discover about the cultures and traditions of our fellow Europeans." The action will seek to offer young people, regardless of social or educational background and including people with reduced mobility, a chance to travel abroad. A promotion campaign to inform young Europeans turning 18 about this new opportunity will be organised and may include an open competition to select the first young people who will be travelling. The first participants are expected to travel this summer. They will do so by rail as a general rule, but alternative modes of transport should be available where necessary, taking into account environmental considerations, as well as time and distance. (For more information: Nathalie Vandystadt – Tel. +32 229 67083; Joseph Waldstein – Tel. +32 229 56184

Monday, 26 February 2018

Modals. Grammar & exercises

Modal Verbs



Here's a list of the modal verbs in English:
cancouldmaymightwill
wouldmustshallshouldought to
Modals are different from normal verbs:

1: They don't use an 's' for the third person singular.
2: They make questions by inversion ('she can go' becomes 'can she go?').
3: They are followed directly by the infinitive of another verb (without 'to').

Probability:

First, they can be used when we want to say how sure we are that something happened / is happening / will happen. We often call these 'modals of deduction' or 'speculation' or 'certainty' or 'probability'.

For example:
  • It's snowing, so it must be very cold outside.
  • I don't know where John is. He could have missed the train.
  • This bill can't be right. £200 for two cups of coffee!
Click here to find out more about probability.

Ability

We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill or ability.

For example:
  • She can speak six languages.
  • My grandfather could play golf very well.
  • can't drive.
Click here to find out more about ability.

Obligation and Advice

We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should' to say when something is necessary or unnecessary, or to give advice.

For example:
  • Children must do their homework.
  • We have to wear a uniform at work.
  • You should stop smoking.
Click here to find out more about obligation

Permission

We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and 'may' to ask for and give permission. We also use modal verbs to say something is not allowed.

For example:
  • Could I leave early today, please?
  • You may not use the car tonight.
  • Can we swim in the lake?

Habits

We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about habits or things we usually do, or did in the past. 

For example:
  • When I lived in Italy, we would often eat in the restaurant next to my flat.
  • John will always be late!

Could have, should have, would have

These past modal verbs are all used hypothetically, to talk about things that didn't really happen in the past.
Could have + past participle

1: Could have + past participle means that something was possible in the past, or you had the ability to do something in the past, but that you didn't do it. (See also modals of ability.)
  • I could have stayed up late, but I decided to go to bed early.
  • They could have won the race, but they didn't try hard enough.
  • Julie could have bought the book, but she borrowed it from the library instead.
  • He could have studied harder, but he was too lazy and that's why he failed the exam.
Couldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't possible in the past, even if you had wanted to do it.
  • I couldn't have arrived any earlier. There was a terrible traffic jam (= it was impossible for me to have arrived any earlier).
  • He couldn't have passed the exam, even if he had studied harder. It's a really, really difficult exam.
2: We use could have + past participle when we want to make a guess about something that happened in the past. (See also modals of probability.) In this case, we don't know if what we're saying is true or not true. We're just talking about our opinion of what maybe happened.

Why is John late?
  • He could have got stuck in traffic.
  • He could have forgotten that we were meeting today.
  • He could have overslept.
We can also choose to use might have + past participle to mean the same thing:
  • He might have got stuck in traffic.
  • He might have forgotten that we were meeting today.
  • He might have got stuck in traffic.
Should have + past participle

1: Should have + past participle can mean something that would have been a good idea, but that you didn't do it. It's like giving advice about the past when you say it to someone else, or regretting what you did or didn't do when you're talking about yourself.

Shouldn't have + past participle means that something wasn't a good idea, but you did it anyway.
  • I should have studied harder! (= I didn't study very hard and so I failed the exam. I'm sorry about this now.)
  • I should have gone to bed early (= I didn't go to bed early and now I'm tired).
  • I shouldn't have eaten so much cake! (= I did eat a lot of cake and now I don't feel good.)
  • You should have called me when you arrived (= you didn't call me and I was worried. I wish that you had called me).
  • John should have left early, then he wouldn't have missed the plane (= but he didn't leave early and so he did miss the plane).
2: We can also use should have + past participle to talk about something that, if everything is normal and okay, we think has already happened. But we're not certain that everything is fine, so we use 'should have' and not the present perfect or past simple. It's often used with 'by now'.
  • His plane should have arrived by now (= if everything is fine, the plane has arrived).
  • John should have finished work by now (= if everything is normal, John has finished work).
We can also use this to talk about something that would have happened if everything was fine, but hasn't happened.
  • Lucy should have arrived by now, but she hasn't.
Would have + past participle

1: Part of the third conditional.
  • If I had had enough money, I would have bought a car (but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy a car).
2: Because 'would' (and will) can also be used to show if you want to do something or not (volition), we can also use would have + past participle to talk about something you wanted to do but didn't. This is very similar to the third conditional, but we don't need an 'if clause'.
  • I would have gone to the party, but I was really busy.
    (= I wanted to go to the party, but I didn't because I was busy. If I hadn't been so busy, I would have gone to the party.)
  • I would have called you, but I didn't know your number.
    (= I wanted to call you but I didn't know your number, so I didn't call you.)
  • A: Nobody volunteered to help us with the fair
    B: I would have helped you. I didn't know you needed help.
    (= If I had known that you needed help, I would have helped you.)
Try an exercise about these past modals here.


Thursday, 15 February 2018

St Valentine´s. Some shocking facts




CONVERSATION QUESTIONS:
  • What do you usually do for Valentine's Day?
  • What do you plan on doing this Valentine's Day?
  • Do you make any special food for Valentine's Day?
  • On Valentine's Day, is it more common for men to give gifts to women or for women to give gifts to men?
  • What are common gifts that people give on Valentine's Day?
  • What is your favorite Valentine's Day memory?
  • What is your Valentine's dream? If you could do anything or receive anything on Valentine's Day, what would it be?
  • Do you know anyone that has become engaged or married on Valentine's Day?
  • Would you want to get engaged or married on a holiday? Why or why not?
  • What is a "valentine"?
  • Have you ever gotten a valentine or love letter on Valentine's Day?
  • What is Valentine's Day like for singles? (What do single people do on Valentine's Day?)
  • Do you think Valentine's Day makes single people feel lonely?
  • Do you think Valentine's Day is too commercial or consumerist?
  • What is your favorite kind of Valentine's Day chocolate?
    • Do you prefer milk, dark, or white chocolate?
    • Do you like nuts or caramels in your chocolates?
  • What are common gifts that people give?
  • Do you know anyone that has gotten engaged or married on Valentine's Day?

(1)What do you know about Valentine's Day?
(2)Do you like Valentine's Day?
(3)What are the good things about Valentine's Day?
(4)What would be your perfect Valentine's Day?
(5)What Valentine's Day message would you like someone to write to you?
(6)Tell me about the perfect Valentine's Day meal.
(7)Is Valentine's Day a bad day for people who are single?
(8)Someone once said: “Why was Cupid was to represent Valentine's Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.” Do you agree?
(9)What are the most romantic Valentine's Day words in your language?
(10)Should Valentine's Day be a national holiday?
(1)Is Valentine's Day really another way for companies to make money?
(2)What are the best Valentine's Day gifts?
(3)What do you write in a Valentine's Day card?
(4)Who is your perfect Valentine, and why?
(5)What's the most romantic song you know?
(6)Why are roses always associated with Valentine's Day?
(7)Is Valentine's Day a bad day for people who aren't so good-looking?
(8)Is giving chocolates as a Valentine's present a sign of uncreativeness?
(9)Shouldn't every day be Valentine's Day?
(10)How romantic are you?

Sunday, 11 February 2018

Conditionals


Conditional Sentences are also known as Conditional Clauses or If Clauses. They are used to express that the action in the main clause (without if) can only take place if a certain condition (in the clause with if) is fulfilled. There are three types of Conditional Sentences.
Conditional Sentence Type 1
→ It is possible and also very likely that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple Presentwill-Future
Example: If I find her address, I’ll send her an invitation.

Conditional Sentence Type 2

→ It is possible but very unlikely, that the condition will be fulfilled.
Form: if + Simple PastConditional I (= would + Infinitive)
Example: If I found her address, I would send her an invitation.

Conditional Sentence Type 3

→ It is impossible that the condition will be fulfilled because it refers to the past.
Form: if + Past PerfectConditional II (= would + have + Past Participle)
Example: If I had found her address, I would have sent her an invitation.

Exceptions

Sometimes Conditional Sentences Type I, II and III can also be used with other tenses.

Exercises on Conditional Sentences

Conditional Sentence Type 1

Conditional Sentence Type 2

Conditional Sentence Type 3

Mixed Exercises on Conditional Sentences

Exceptions

1. Form

typeif-clausemain clause
ISimple Presentwill-future or (Modal + infinitive)
IISimple Pastwould + infinitive *
IIIPast Perfectwould + have + past participle *

2. Examples (if-clause at the beginning)

typeif clausemain clause
IIf I study,will pass the exam.
IIIf I studied,would pass the exam.
IIIIf I had studied,would have passed the exam.

3. Examples (if-clause at the end)

typemain clauseif-clause
Iwill pass the examif I study.
IIwould pass the examif I studied.
IIIwould have passed the examif I had studied.

4. Examples (affirmative and negative sentences)

typeExamples
long formsshort/contracted forms
I+If I study, I will pass the exam.If I study, I'll pass the exam.
-If I study, I will not fail the exam.
If I do not study, I will fail the exam.
If I study, I won't fail the exam.
If I don't study, I'll fail the exam.
II+If I studied, I would pass the exam.If I studied, I'd pass the exam.
-If I studied, I would not fail the exam.
If I did not study, I would fail the exam.
If I studied, I wouldn't fail the exam.
If I didn't study, I'd fail the exam.
III+If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.If I'd studied, I'd have passed the exam.
-If I had studied, I would not have failed the exam.
If I had not studied, I would have failed the exam.
If I'd studied, I wouldn't have failed the exam.
If I hadn't studied, I'd have failed the exam.
* We can substitute could or might for would (shouldmay or must are sometimes possible, too).
  • would pass the exam.
  • could pass the exam.
  • might pass the exam.
  • may pass the exam.
  • should pass the exam.
  • must pass the exam.

Monday, 5 February 2018

Speaking practice

You´ll have to talk for one minute about a picture. After you finish, your partner will talk for one minute about another picture. Below are examples of pictures. Click on each picture to open it. When it opens, use your mouse to find some words you can use. A good way to start is “The picture shows…
On The Riverriver.jpgLondon
london.jpg (28222 bytes)
A New Baby
newbaby.jpg (49628 bytes)

The Presidential Visitbushhospitalvisit.jpg (68461 bytes)Barbeque 2barbequejapan.jpg (58868 bytes)The Fishbigfishtrophy.jpg (29459 bytes)
Waiting at the Airportwaitingfortheplane.jpg (42049 bytes)Picking Applesoldladies.jpg (27850 bytes)The Red Card
redcard.jpg (51296 bytes)

Filming in the Hospitalhospitalmovie.jpg (33121 bytes)At the Airportwaiting.jpgVisitors at the Hospitalhospitalvisit.jpg (29669 bytes)

Saturday, 3 February 2018

QR Project

QR Code generator

Design, manage and track i QR Codes with custom colors and logos. Make your project interactive, trackable using mobile, social & locally.  Create your smart QR Codes 
PROJECT SECTIONS: STEPS:
1.- Create a PERSONAL card with the basic information. Generate the code and save the image to paste and later print or submit to the teacher.
Last name, Email, Website, Address, ZIP Code, City, Country, Title (NAME OF THE PROJECT_COUNTRY), Company (IES LEONARDO TORRES QUEVEDO (SANTANDER), Note (Ev.)

2.- Choose a coutry to work with
You will have to select the basic information or what you consider worth pointing out (food, famous landmarks, people, sports, stereotypes,etc.) Create your own script about that place and then record your own audio file)

The Union reached its current size of 28 member countries  on 1 July 2013. The 28 member countries of the EU
BY ALPHABETICAL ORDER


3.- Record your " speaking file" using VOCAROO site. https://vocaroo.com. Remember you have to grant access and save your recording to be kept in time. However, once done, you will get a QR code to be saved and printed in your answer sheet. That image should directly take you to listening your info about the coutry selected for the project. Check the FAQ section: https://vocaroo.com/?help

4.- Now, use UNITAG  web tool again to create 3 TEXT QUESTIONS about the information provided in your speaking. Create a QR and paste it on the answer sheet with the rest of the tasks.
5.- Finally, print your answers  and send the answer sheet to your teacher (jesusjavier.martinez@iestorresquevedo.net) in just one single paper to be handed in before the project deadline, March 1st 2018.Then, use a QR reader  http://www.i-nigma.com/downloadi-nigmareader.html to answer all the questions of the activity (class gymkana). 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_1EmV8Lx4Zp62q08HD_7ebRwefcdViLo/view?usp=sharing