. . . and we met our pen pals!

On April 21 we finally had the opportunity to meet some of the students at Millis High School, with whom you have been exchanging letters since the beginning of the school year. It was a really rewarding experience. Your American pals had a very good time and thanks to your explanations, they could learn many things about Lebrija and flamenco music. They also enjoyed the tour around the town.

I would like to thank you for your colaboration and your effort to make them feel at easy in a foreign country. And I would like to congratulate you on your ability to communicate with them both in English and Spanish.

I hope you also had a good time with them and of course, I hope you keep in touch with them.

Book Day

On 23 April we celebrate Book Day and Copyright Day. But do you know why? This day is the anniversary of the death of three important authors around the world: William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. All of them died on 23 April 1616 (although there are some days of difference because some countries followed the Julian calendar and others the Gregorian one). That is the reason why UNESCO chose this day to encourage people to enjoy reading.

We have celebrated it by accomplishing an important challenge: writing poems in English. Very soon we will have a poem reading in our class so that all your classmates can enjoy your marvellous work.

You did a really good job! I hope you had a good time . . . and I can't wait for the reading!

Easter Egg Hunt

Have you ever gone Easter egg hunting? Before holidays we learnt it was a typical game for kids in both the USA and the UK.

Here are two videos where you can see how much fun kids have these days. The first one is somewhere in Texas. The second one is in New Haven.

Let's Write a Poem!

On April 23 we celebrate Book Day and Copy Right Day. We'll learn about this day soon, but for the moment, we can start planning what we can do to contribute to such an important date.

Have you ever thought of writing a poem in English? Well, it's time for you to try! Don't panic! It's not difficult at all!

There are six types of poems quite easy for beginners: Bio Poems, 5W Poems, I Am Poems, Name Poems, Cinquain Poems and Diamond Poems. If you click here you will have access to a website with clear instructions for each one.

On the other hand, limericks are somewhat more complex. A limerick is a nonsense stanza, so the wildest it is, the better. It is supposed to end with an unexpected idea, and it should flow easily when read aloud. The last word of lines one, two and five must rhyme with each other, and so must the last words of lines three and four. The pattern is a-a-b-b-a. I will give you a photocopy with examples and explanations but here you can have some information and read some examples.

Of course, for limericks you should make a list of words that rhyme. Here is an interesting online dictionary that will help you alot.

Choose your favourite poem and go ahead. I'm sure you'll write really good poems!

Easter

Before the holidays we learnt what Easter is and how it is celebrated in different parts of the world. We also learnt about its religious and pagan origins.

This is the worksheet we used in class. I hope you learnt many things.

Enjoy the holidays!

Easter

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April Fool's Day

April Fool's Day, or All Fools' Day, is the first day of April. It is a traditional day for playing pranks on unsuspecting people. In many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, people play tricks on others. A favourite joke is to send someone on a fool's errand (a search for something that does not exist), or to get people to believe ridiculous things. The victim is called an April Fool.

No one knows where the April Fools' custom began. The origin is uncertain but may be related to the arrival of spring in late March, when nature "fools" humanity with changes in weather. Another explanation has to do with the change to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, which moved New Year's Day to January 1.

The tradition originated in France and Great Britain and it was introduced into America in colonial times.

The French call April 1 "Poisson d'Avril" or "April Fish". French children sometimes stick a picture of a fish on the back of their schoolmates, crying "Poisson d'Avril" when the prank is discovered.