The ESL Times

10 May 2013

Comparing cities

Presentations by the 2 ESO Bilingual Group at IES La Escribana, Villaviciosa de Córdoba.

Favourite city atenea inés from Paco Carmona

Favourite city manuel c j_uan j from Paco Carmona

Istanbul sergio&cristian from Paco Carmona

Los ángeles clara a_david from Paco Carmona

Thanks to their teacher, Paco Carmona.

9 May 2013

QR Codes at school

Pilar The Moon is starting a QR Code Campaign at her school, CEIP Rafael Altamira.

Here you are the beginning, a lovely poster with the first advertisement.

8 May 2013

Metaphors in American Literature

Commentary about metaphors used by Anne Bradstreet and by Jonathan Edwards.

In order to establish the metaphors used by Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards I have selected the excerpts in which they showed the figurative language.

A. Bradstreet poem The Author to Her Book contains an extended metaphor because it goes along the text. We can see how she intentionally controlled the imagery through the poem which related her book to the birth of a child. The vehicle is her fatherless child. In this way she calls the attention to her authorship without help of men, she apologizes for the “ill-formed offspring of the feeble brain” (line 1). It is a recognised strategy to show true humility and modesty expected from a honorable woman. In line 2 “Who after birth didst by my side remain” the tenor can be interpreted as the delay of her publication and “My rambling brat should mother call” (line 8) as it were a spoiled child, justifying that is going to be published by her brother.

In her elegy On My Dear Grandchild Simon Bradstreet she uses the figurative language of flowers to express the beginning and end of a life in a short time. And also to enhance the deception for an almighty God. One example of the vehicle is in line 3 “three flowers” and the tenor are the children who died. In this sense the flowers are something extremely beautiful and pure which died suddenly because of the natural cycle of life.

J. Edwards sets out the rhetorical strategies to give a new set of images that were very familiar in his time. But, how? Eliciting emotional responses to sermons, they are an example of eloquence partly because it is filled with tension and suspense 2. He communicated his ideas in a language of sensory experience. Producing an impression in their minds. In the first extract from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God we can identify the vehicle “bitter and poisonous fruit” (line 6) with the tenor of the sin if we go to the imagery of Adam and Eve in the paradise. A second metaphor is extended along the vehicle of “great waters” (line 78), “floods of God's Vengeance” (line 82) which tenor would talk about the abysm which follows God's wrath. Following the metaphorical structure of the text, there is only one way of “holding the waters back” and it is with conversion and God's help.

(397 words)

2Gibert, Teresa. American Literature to 1900. Editorial Universitaria Ramón Areces: Madrid, 2009. Page 82.

By Pilar The Moon

7 May 2013

An essay on American Literature: Autobiographical Elements

ESSAY ON AMERICAN LITERATURE

Comparing and contrasingt the use of autobiographical elements in the writings by John Smith, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson.

This essay sets out the terms which put forward the contrast points of the autobiographical aspects of the four authors. These authors were pioneers as they started literature tradition in America. The american literature found evidence that the colonial discourse as settlers had provided them a new vision of the world different from other authors of their times. Differences in their works are because of their life experiences.

Firstly, I point out a contrast showed by their relation to religion. In that sense, Smith is the only one whose role as adventurer and hero has secular concerns. He had been payed by the investors in London, so he had economical intentions and enhanced his work in the colonies with a mixture of fact and fiction. In spite of this, Bradford and the two women referred to a spiritual concern, related to their condition of Puritans, which made them to tell the true facts from a perspective of a Puritan reality. The sources they used are influenced by this condition: classical authors are present in Smith, and essentialy biblical sources are basic in Puritan authors' references. This passages or quotations were directly related with the background of their audiences. Also that made them to convey a didactic and plain style.

Secondly we distinguish differences in the gender, they were influenced by the social behaviour of the times. Women were considered to have little to say in men's society. Consider their role belonging to a Puritan organization of society were mere caregivers and beloved wives. Converserly, they went further and expressed their own opinions in their works. William and John1 wrote back to England as a mission to inform their investors and society about their fisrt impressions of the New World. Following these argument the roles influenced directly in their way of writing.

The perception we have about Purintan thought is that women should be discreet and passed a certain censure in their writings. Having said that we stress some common elements the two women had in their autobiography, material losses and psychological hardships. Their daily life in colonies are reflected in their discourses, living hand by hand with Natives made them their own opinion about what was happening, speaking about the death of children, the crude vision of war, the survival personality of human being. In most occasions troubled by religious thoughts which seemed not as close as they wished.

1Gibert, Teresa. American Literature to 1900. Editorial Universitaria Ramón Areces: Madrid, 2009. Pages 15 and 29.

By Pilar The Moon

6 May 2013

Developing Communicative Skills

Year 1 of Primary School

San Gregorio School.

As an English teacher I try to improve not only the vocabulary and grammar of my youngest students but also their use of English.

Sometimes when we try to deal with communication and conversation in our lesson we just ask questions to our students and we wait for their correct answer. But in my opinion I think it is very important to have time for talking with their classmates in English. This is when they are really using English because they are looking for information about something real and important for them .

This is why I spend nearly fifteen minutes everyday to develop these communicative skills with them since they start Primary School. In the following photos you can see all the support material.

In each English topic I introduce one or two of them which usually are related with it. In this way students are learning:

● How to make questions.

● How to have a conversation, and the rules of it. (Greetings and farewells, taking turns)

● To use the vocabulary of the topic. And also to revise the previous vocabulary.

● And in most cases they are learning new vocabulary because they want to say something more than what they have learnt in the lessons.

● They also feel really confident with the English speaking skills if you use it as a daily basis.

In the following video you can see how two of my 7 year-old students have an eight minute conversation about their personal things following the patterns they have learnt.