31/01/2014
30/01/2014
Free Breakfast at Primary Schools
More school children are being fed breakfast at schools.
Vocab:
Vocab:
- to nourish: To provide with food or other substances necessary for life and growth; feed
- to tackle a problem: deal with a problem
- to budget: to carefully plan and control how much money you spend and what you will buy with it
- to go hungry: to miss a meal and end up hungry
- to do well/better/badly: used to ask or talk about how successful someone is at something
- the proof of the pudding(is in the eating): used to say that you can only know whether something is good or bad after you have tried it
28/01/2014
UK 'Free Schools' under scrutiny
The government has been accused of allowing schools in England to be taken over by
religious groups at the expense of a wider education.
Free Schools, which are academies organised by parents, are a flagship policy of the government which says they are being set free from the state.
But recent incidents, including a damning report on a Muslim school, have led to questions about the policy.
Free Schools, which are academies organised by parents, are a flagship policy of the government which says they are being set free from the state.
But recent incidents, including a damning report on a Muslim school, have led to questions about the policy.
26/01/2014
Education
- Picture dictionary (+The Stages of British Education and Exams)
- University vocabulary
- University education
- US school vocab
- IELTS Education Vocabulary
- Charter schools
- Types of school
- Education vocab & quiz Britain’s School System ExplainedBritain’s School System ExplainedBritain’s School System Explained
24/01/2014
23/01/2014
The Death of Books?
Sales of popular electronic readers like the Kindle and the Nook are sky-rocketing. Now that the reading revolution has begun, we wonder about the future of hard-back books and the world of publishing.
aisle: a long passage between rows of seats in a church, plane, theatre etc, or between rows of shelves in a shop
coffee table book: a large expensive book that has a lot of pictures in it and is meant to be looked at rather than read
royalties: a payment made to the writer of a book or piece of music depending on how many books etc are sold, or to someone whose idea, invention etc is used by someone else to make money
aisle: a long passage between rows of seats in a church, plane, theatre etc, or between rows of shelves in a shop
coffee table book: a large expensive book that has a lot of pictures in it and is meant to be looked at rather than read
royalties: a payment made to the writer of a book or piece of music depending on how many books etc are sold, or to someone whose idea, invention etc is used by someone else to make money
14/01/2014
Writing an article
What is an article?
An article
• is a piece of writing usually intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine or journal
• is written for a wide audience, so it is essential to attract and retain the readers’ attention
• may include amusing stories, reported speech and descriptions
• can be formal or informal, depending on the target audience
• should be written in an interesting or entertaining manner
• should give opinions and thoughts, as well as facts
• is in a less formal style than a report
An article can
• describe an experience, event, person or place
• present an opinion or balanced argument
• compare and contrast
• provide information
• offer suggestions
• offer advice
A realistic article should consist of:
REMEMBER
Before you begin writing it is important to consider:
• where is the article going to appear - in a newspaper or magazine?
• who are the intended readers - a specific group such as students or teenagers, or adults in general?
• what is the aim of the article - to advise, suggest, inform, compare and contrast, describe, etc.?
These three points are the deciding factors in the layout of your article, its style, language and level of formality.
Determine the information you are going to use and organize your ideas carefully into paragraphs. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence.
The article could be formal, semi-formal or informal, depending on your intended audience.
Use vocabulary and descriptive language appropriate for the article. Linking words and expressions, and a variety of vocabulary will only improve your work and make it more interesting.
DO NOT use over-personal or over-emotional language or simplistic vocabulary.
DO NOT talk about yourself. You are writing for the general public, not a close circle of friends.
Your opinions are only interesting to other people if you can make them amusing, justify them or explain them.
(From onestopenglish.com)
An article
• is a piece of writing usually intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine or journal
• is written for a wide audience, so it is essential to attract and retain the readers’ attention
• may include amusing stories, reported speech and descriptions
• can be formal or informal, depending on the target audience
• should be written in an interesting or entertaining manner
• should give opinions and thoughts, as well as facts
• is in a less formal style than a report
An article can
• describe an experience, event, person or place
• present an opinion or balanced argument
• compare and contrast
• provide information
• offer suggestions
• offer advice
A realistic article should consist of:
- an eye-catching title which attracts the readers’ attention and suggests the theme of the article. (Think about why you read a magazine or newspaper article recently - what made you read it?) Articles can also have subheadings before each paragraph.
- an introduction which clearly defines the topic to be covered and keeps the reader’s attention.
- the main body of two to five paragraphs in which the topic is further developed in detail.
- the conclusion - summarising the topic or a final opinion, recommendation or comment.
REMEMBER
Before you begin writing it is important to consider:
• where is the article going to appear - in a newspaper or magazine?
• who are the intended readers - a specific group such as students or teenagers, or adults in general?
• what is the aim of the article - to advise, suggest, inform, compare and contrast, describe, etc.?
These three points are the deciding factors in the layout of your article, its style, language and level of formality.
Determine the information you are going to use and organize your ideas carefully into paragraphs. Each paragraph should have a clear topic sentence.
The article could be formal, semi-formal or informal, depending on your intended audience.
Use vocabulary and descriptive language appropriate for the article. Linking words and expressions, and a variety of vocabulary will only improve your work and make it more interesting.
DO NOT use over-personal or over-emotional language or simplistic vocabulary.
DO NOT talk about yourself. You are writing for the general public, not a close circle of friends.
Your opinions are only interesting to other people if you can make them amusing, justify them or explain them.
(From onestopenglish.com)
12/01/2014
How to Write a Book Review
Book reports and book reviews are similar. Book reports tend to be a
little more descriptive (What is this book about?) and book reviews are
usually more persuasive (Why a reader should or shouldn't read this
book). Both offer a combination of summary and commentary.
They are a way to think more deeply about a book you've read and to demonstrate your understanding.
General elements of a book review:
Introduction
Here you want to provide basic information about the book, and a sense of what your review will be about. You should include:
Body
There are two main sections for this part. The first is an explanation of what the book is about. The second is your opinions about the book and how successful it is.
Explain the author's purpose and/or the main themes of the book. Then you can summarize.
Provide brief descriptions of the setting, the point of view (who tells the story), the protagonist , and other major characters. If there is a distinct mood or tone, discuss that as well.
Give a concise plot summary. Along with the sequence of major events, you may want to discuss the book's climax and resolution, and/or literary devices such as foreshadowing. But be careful not to give away important plot details or the ending.
Analysis and Evaluation
In this section you analyze or critique the book. You can write about your own opinions; just be sure that you explain and support them with examples. Some questions you might want to consider:
Conclusion
Briefly conclude by pulling your thoughts together. You may want to say what impression the book left you with, or emphasize what you want your reader to know about it.
(adapted from http://www.infoplease.com/homework/wsbookreporths.html)
They are a way to think more deeply about a book you've read and to demonstrate your understanding.
General elements of a book review:
Introduction
Here you want to provide basic information about the book, and a sense of what your review will be about. You should include:
- Title (underlined)/Author
- Publication Information: Publisher, year, number of pages
- Genre
- A brief (1-2 sentences) introduction to the book and the review.
Body
There are two main sections for this part. The first is an explanation of what the book is about. The second is your opinions about the book and how successful it is.
Explain the author's purpose and/or the main themes of the book. Then you can summarize.
Provide brief descriptions of the setting, the point of view (who tells the story), the protagonist , and other major characters. If there is a distinct mood or tone, discuss that as well.
Give a concise plot summary. Along with the sequence of major events, you may want to discuss the book's climax and resolution, and/or literary devices such as foreshadowing. But be careful not to give away important plot details or the ending.
Analysis and Evaluation
In this section you analyze or critique the book. You can write about your own opinions; just be sure that you explain and support them with examples. Some questions you might want to consider:
- Did the author achieve his or her purpose?
- Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?
- What are the strengths and weaknesss of the book?
- What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull?
- Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?
Conclusion
Briefly conclude by pulling your thoughts together. You may want to say what impression the book left you with, or emphasize what you want your reader to know about it.
(adapted from http://www.infoplease.com/homework/wsbookreporths.html)
05/01/2014
01/01/2014
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