Acreditados por:
Education First
Education First (abbreviated as EF) is an international education company that specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degree programs, and cultural exchanges. The company was founded in 1965 by Bertil Hult in the Swedish university town of Lund. EF has approximately 40,000 staff and 500 offices and schools located in more than 50 countries.
Bertil Hult launched EF in 1965 from the basement of his university dormitory. After dropping out of school, due in part to his inability to learn English, Bertil took a job as an errand boy for a Swedish bank. His supervisors quickly recognized his work ethic and sent him to London on work exchange as a reward. Only a few months after relocating, Bertil could speak English, his time in the U.K. taught him that learning by doing could have a greater impact on educational outcomes than traditional classroom methods.
EF is the official supplier of language training services to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil. EF served the same capacity for the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. EF is willing to provide this year English language training for 1 million Brazilians, including Olympics volunteers and 550,000 school children across the country.
The three winners which are going to represent our Bilingual Divino Niño School in this competition are Andres Felipe Jaramillo Pabon, Ines Maria Mantilla Vargas (from eleventh grade) and Julian David López Moreno (from tenth grade).
The lucky national winner is going to be announced on the 15th of April, all the selected students around the world are going to meet in Río de Janeiro, Brazil then on the 30th of the same month we are finally going to know who the global winners of this challenge are.
You could win groupal trips to England or Singapore, if you are a student, you may win a course abroad of two weeks and if you are a teacher, you may have the opportunity to be in some EF Teacher Training Courses. These are the opportunities we have to take advantage of.
Redactores: Nicolle Rodríguez and Eduarda Favero
Bibliography
Tips for improving your English speaking pronunciation
Date: August 7th, 2015
Source: http://www.english-at-home.com/pronunciation/improving-your-pronunciation/
Redactor: Jefferson Reyes.
Article:
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Decide what kind of accent you would like to speak with.
There are many types of English accents, the most common are British and American, both of them are completely different because the vowels and consonant sounds are different.
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Learn the IPA and the individual sounds of English.
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a collection of symbols that represent the different sounds of a language. Once you know all the sounds of English and symbols that represent those sounds, you will be able to pronounce any work in English.
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When you learn a new word, learn how to pronounce it correctly.
The longer you say a word incorrectly, the harder it becomes to learn to say it correctly. You’ve developed a bad habit, and it takes a long time to break a bad habit! This is why it is so important to learn the IPA and use dictionaries specifically for English learners.
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Watch YouTube pronunciation videos.
Here are a few helpful youtubers:
American accent:
Teacher Melanie (me!)
JenniferESL
Lisa Mojsin
Rachel’s English
Pronuncian/Seattle Learning Academy
Eva Easton
British accent:
The Phone Voice
VirtuAule
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Try to imitate spoken English.
To ‘imitate’ means to copy someone/something, to do something the same way, or to do the same things as someone else. Do you really like the way someone speaks English? Try to copy the way they speak.
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Practice HEARING the sounds of English.
Before you listen to an English podcast, song, etc. read the words first. Highlight, circle, or underline the sound you want to work on. For example, if you have trouble with the /I/ sound, highlight all the words that you think have the /I/ sound. Read the passage out loud to yourself, focusing on the words with /I/
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Record yourself.
It’s important to hear what you sound like speaking English so you know what you need to improve! You can compare what you sound like to what youwantto sound like.
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Practice for at least 30 minutes every day.
There is no way around it: the only way your pronunciation will improve is if you practice, practice, practice! Your pronunciation will not magically improve just because you’re speaking English. The sounds of English may be very different from the sounds in your language. It may be difficult and even uncomfortable for your mouth to make some of the sounds in English.
°Have your pronunciation professionally evaluated.
When your pronunciation is evaluated by a teacher, he/she can tell you exactly what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong. He/She can tell you exactly what sounds you need to work on to sound more like a native speaker.
3 tips to master the TOEFL
Date: April 6th 2015
http://www.higherscore.ca/images/wordle_TOEFL.png
Redactor: Carlos Buitrago.
Article:
Proving a mastery of the English language is a crucial step in coming to the United States for college or graduate school—a goal that's becoming more pervasive and increasingly competitive. U.S. schools use the Test of English as a Foreign Language, known as the TOEFL, as a gauge of language proficiency.
The good news, however, is that with diligent studying, many students are able to improve their language proficiency and meet score requirements, test experts say. Here are three tips to help you prepare.
1. Give yourself time: Since each portion of the TOEFL examination requires in-depth knowledge of the English language, effective test preparation should span several months.
There are many preparatory courses, companies, and books to choose from, but no matter which route you select, make sure to take some timed practice tests over the course of your studies. Since the four-part test takes about three-and-a-half hours, mimicking the process before you take the real test can help boost your stamina, according to Kaplan Test Prep.
2. Make it fun: Preparing for the TOEFL doesn't have to only include class sessions and preparatory books. For Romania native Ana Barbu, English cartoons and movies were just as helpful—if not more so—than materials specifically geared to test prep.
Tuning in to the Cartoon Network for shows like Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory while living in Romania helped Barbu prepare for the listening component of the TOEFL, she says. (College services director Zilkha recommends listening to radio news shows, too, which don't allow for students to become visually distracted.)
If you have access to subtitled films, they can also help the study process, says Barbu, who recently completed a master's degree in journalism at Syracuse University and now works as the director of web communications at the College of Mount St. Vincent.
3. Give yourself a safety net: No matter how much you prepare, some things still may come as a surprise when you first take the TOEFL. Earphones, for instance, can vary between testing centers, Zilkha says, and it's hard to know how noisy your test room will be.
If possible, Zilkha recommends that students consider scheduling multiple tests when they register for their first TOEFL exam. (There's no limit to how many times you can take the TOEFL, and students can wait to release their scores until they hit the minimum score requirement set by schools in which they're interested.)
Let’s contribute in this International Earth day!
Contamination is the presence of an unwanted impurity of a material in natural environments. Toxic waste disturbs our ecosystem and the balance in the environment, with modernization and development in our lives it has reached its peak; giving rise to global warming and human illnesses.
Let us discuss the different types of pollutions, their causes and effects on mankind and the environment as a whole.
EFFECTS OF POLLUTION
1. Environment Degradation: The environment is the first casualty for increase in pollution weather in air or water.
2. Human Health: The decrease in quality of air leads to several respiratory problems including asthma or lung cancer.
3. Global Warming: The emission of greenhouse gases particularly CO2 is leading to global warming. Everyday new industries are being set up, new vehicles come on roads so trees are cut to make way for new homes.
4. Ozone Layer Depletion: Ozone layer is the thin shield high up in the sky that stops ultra violet rays from reaching the earth and it´s fading away and running out.
5. Infertile Land: Due to constant use of insecticides and pesticides, the soil may become infertile. Plants may not be able to grow properly in consequence we´re not having a healthy environment.
As a result of those effects, our earth is slowly dying because of our irresponsibility, for this April 22nd we got to recognize and reconsider that our planet is the unique place we can daily enjoy and the only thing it asks us it to take care of it. So, as Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘‘to help our next generations have a future, be the change you want to see in the World’’.
Fecha: 10-04-2016
Redactores: Nicolle Rodríguez and Eduarda Favero
Feast day of Saint Valentine
Date: February 17th ,2016
redactor: Nicolle Rodríguez and Eduarda Favero
It’s the celebration of love and affection.
The Saint Valentine’s Day, also called the love and friendship day is celebrated on the February 14th, people usually send greeting cards and different kind of gifts as chocolates, teddy bears, and they also have dates. The Valentine’s Day symbols currently used are a heart-shaped outline, the figure of the winged Cupid and doves.
In the 18th century in England this day the lovers expressed each other their love by presenting flowers, offering sweets and lovely cards. The lovers receive the Saint Valentine’s keys as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart in Europe.
Eleventh graders taking the MET exam
Date: August 20th 2015
Source: http://www.esldirectory.com/blog/english-language-exams/met/
Redactor: Jefferson Reyes.
Article:
I´m going to talk about the MET exam, which is one of the exams, our fellow students from eleventh grade had to take.
What is the MET exam?
The Michigan English Test (MET) is a standardized high-beginner to low-advanced English as a foreign language (EFL) examination. The MET is used to measure general English language proficiency in social, educational, and workplace contexts, and is recognized as official documentary evidence of English ability in several countries around the world.
You can take the speaking module, the listening/reading module, the writing module, or a combination of these.
What is the purpose of the MET exam?
The MET can be used for educational purposes, such as when finishing an English language course, or for employment purposes, like applying for a job or pursuing promotion that requires an English language qualification.
MET description:
It is a standardized English as a foreign language examination, aimed at upper beginner to lower advanced levels—A2 to C1. Meaning you can only take this test ONLY if you speak English besides your mother tongue, this exam is graded from A2 (meaning your English level is low) to C2 which is the highest level you can get in the exam.
New words in English
Date: July 10th 2015
Source: http://www.idea.org/blog/2012/11/12/what-is-a-dictionary-and-how-are-they-changing/
http://www.learn-english-today.com/new-words/new-words-in-english1.html
Redactor: Jefferson Reyes.
Article:
New words enter English from every area of life where they represent and
describe the changes and developments that take place from day to day.
Here are some words and expressions that have been coined in recent years:
Alcopop
Fruit drinks fortified with alcohol, designed and marketed to appeal to young people.
Amazeballs
Used to say that you find something extremely good, very enjoyable, impressive, etc.
Applepick
Steal someone's iPhone.
Audiophile
Person who loves and collects high-quality audio equipment.
Avatar
A graphical image representing a person for example on the Internet.
Baggravation
Blend of the words 'bag' and 'aggravation'. A feeling of annoyance and frustration at the airport when your baggage has not arrived but the other passengers' bags have.
Bashtag
A bashtag is a hashtag (#) that is used to make critical or abusive comments on social networking services such as Twitter.
Binge drinking
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol in a short space of time,
or drinking to get drunk.
Bitcoin
Digital currency which allows payments to be sent from one party to another without going through a financial institution.
Black Swan
An extremely rare and unexpected event of large magnitude and consequence.
Bloatware/fatware
Pre-installed software that occupies a lot of space, leaving little memory for storing personal data.
Blook
A blend of 'book' and 'blog' : a book written by a blogger.
Bookaholic
A compulsive book buyer or a prolific reader.
Brain waste
The problem of skilled immigrants who are forced to accept positions far below their educational level in their new country is known as "brain waste".
Breadcrumbing
A navigation technique which helps users by displaying a list of links to the pages they have visited when exploring a website,
for example: home >>vocabulary>>transport.
Bromance
Blend of 'brother' and 'romance'.
A close non-sexual relationship between two men.
Bureaucratese
A derogatory term for language used in businesses and bureaucracies which
Burkini or Burquini
Blend of 'burqa' and 'bikini' A swimsuit worn by Muslim women which covers the whole body i.e. the arms to the wrist, the legs to the ankle, with a hood to cover the hair and neck.
Buzz
Excited interest or attention surrounding, for example, a new invention, a recent event or something that has become fashionable.
INGLÉS
