Dear all,

Congratulations! Your videos are very creative and we’re extremely happy to witness your effort and commitment once again. Despite some difficulties and lack of time, you didn’t let us down, which shows how much potential you all have. This is definitely a good sign and most probably tasks like these will help you to develop important skills for your future life and career.  Well done! I’ll be publishing all the videos on the blog. Here are the first ones: Rio+100 Green Jobs and Rio+100 Sustainable food production + Rio+100 Sweet water + Rio+100 Natural Disasters and Rio+100 Resources

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Environment

Posted: May 8, 2012 in Uncategorized

Hello everyone. Since we are now working on a new unit: “The Environment” and because we’d like you to be part of the Rio+100 Earth Summit project, here’s a video in which Severn Suzuki, a twelve year old Canadian girl, makes a wonderful speech at the Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It’s worth watching. Get inspired!

Last Friday’s intercultural meeting was not only a great opportunity  for the Portuguese students, but for us as well. I was really  impressed with the amount of English and American culture that the  kids knew. It blew me away that they knew what baseball was and that  one (I believe it was Joao) has actually been playing out here. It was  awesome taking a tour of the school and getting an idea of what it  would have been like growing up as a kid here. I hope our trip there  encourages everyone to keep practicing their English and hopefully  make it out to the United States someday!

Bobby Leonard

Through the ability of having this intercultural meeting with the students it opened my eyes to see the other side of my learning abroad in Portugal. It allowed me to see and help students learn about and practice their English the same way I look for help in my studies in Portuguese. The students were all so compassionate and well-mannered it was a pleasure to be able to gain this experience as I have a passion for volunteer work and also helping youth. The pleasure was mine as the students taught me as much as I taught them. I would gladly come back and enjoy spending more time with the students whenever the opportunity may occur. Thank you for granting me this opportunity.
Kayla
 I enjoyed working, and getting to know all of the students. When I first heard them speak, I was in amazement by how good their English was. I wish my Portuguese was as good as their English. This experience made me want to be a teacher even more. Thank you for givng me this opporunity, I had a great time. I learned alot from these students. Also, Thank you for the food it was very good!Thanks,

Gabby

Carlota- I enjoyed this experience very much. I think it was so important to become richer and, in a way, multicultural because we shared and learned new habits and traditions and we spent the afternoon in a funny and creative way.It was good to improve my English and to learn about life outside Portugal. Our guests are amazing people and I had such a great time. I want to repeat that magic and enriching afternoon. Thank you

Marta Ferreira- Not many people have the opportunity we had, being able to meet such extraordinary people in just one afternoon. We can almost say it was a dream come true because opportunities like these happen once in a lifetime. It was a great afternoon and I could say it was a “grandious moment” we all had the chance to share. I’m sure it will be in our memory even if we don’t realize it now, so I’m grateful for this.

Ana Rita –The intercultural meeting was a very enriching experience. It was possible to meet the American students, learn about them (what they like to do, where they come from, what they’re doing here in Portugal, how their life is in America, what their wishes are). They shared with us what they think about Portugal and the Portuguese. It was also very good to practise our English.

Rita – This experience was amazing and the American students are fantastic people.It was a big and great adventure.  I don’t have words to describe how important these moments were.For me it was a big surprise and privilege. Having the need to communicate forced me to break barriers and the VIP students were a great help.

Ana Filipa- Last Friday was amazing! I loved this event so much because it allowed me to contact with American students with wonderful stories, life experiences and customs. I loved all the American students, but specially Emma because we worked with her and she was very kind to us. Obviously I loved all the other students as well. I hope we can repeat the experience because it was rewarding and special.

Nicole – I enjoyed this experience very much because everyone was very nice.It was important for me to talk to people with different cultures. I liked it very much!

Patrícia – I’d like to thank you for the time you spent with us. It was an enjoyable afternoon because I met amazing people amd learned about a new culture. It’s a good way to study and practse English. Plesse come back to our class. Thank you so much.

Vasco – From my point of view this was an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun meeting the American students.I was amazed at how nice they were and I learned a lot about American culture. For example, in America you can only drink alcohol when you’re 21 but you can learn to drive when you’re 15.

Marta Vinagre – Being with the American students was amazing.We spent a great time learning about other culture and countries and different experiences. Each student was special, really kind, friendly and nice. We had the chance to know Emma a little better. She is a really sweet girl, always smiling and ready to discuss all subjects with us. I wish they come back soon so that I can know them a little better and I’d love to be with Emma again.

Ivan – I really liked it!

Catarina – I am glad to have had the opportunity to communicate with American students and to know a little more abpout their lives, goals and other curiosities such as what they think about Portugal or differences between our country and theirs. This experience was really cool and helped me see the world and new perspectives about the future. Despite being all from the USA, it was funny to notice all the different accents they had. It was great and I wish they could all come back.

Rui – Last Friday we welcomed in our class American students that are currently studying in Portugal. We talked to them, learned about their culture and helped them understand ours. It was a very funny and rewarding experience.

João Oliveira – Last Friday we had a great time meeting all the American students. I think that all of them were really nice. Learning about American culture was awesome but it was also great to teach a little of our own. All the students were really nice and I hope they come back to see us again.

Pedro Costa – Last Friday was a very pleasant day. Meeting the American students was a good experience and I wouldn’t mind repeating it. All of them were nice people, easy to talk with and funny. What an enjoyable experience!

Petru – In my opinion, the event was interesting. I didn’t get the chance to talk to all of them but I got the idea that they were all very nice. I admire the American culture, especially as regards sports. Having the opportunity to share my opinion with them was amazing.

Daniel – This was a thrilling and fun experience. I learned a lot about them and that’s because they’re easy to talk to, nice and kind-hearted. Thank you for accepting our invitation to come. It meant a lot to me.

Edgar  – There are so many things we can say about the meeting. It was a very useful and funny day.When I was walking to the room, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak to the guests, but in the end I think I passed on this test. It was a unique experience and we improved our English fluency and comprehension. We learned about a new culture, new people and we understood that behind the distance between us, we are the same people with similar interests and likes. I hope we can meet again.

Diogo Oliveira – After spending an amazing afternoon talking to plenty of North-American students that are currently studying and graduating in Portugal, I can now understand how much this experience has contributed to me. By meeting this group we got the opportunity to interact with students that have different origins in terms of culture and education and learn how much we are alike despite growing in such different places. The differences that we believed that existed were none in reality. Overall: a great learning experience that should definitely be repeated soon.

Gustavo– It’s such a shame that I couldn’t attend the class. I heard it was very pleasant and a very different and enriching experience.

Diogo Domingues – My teachers asked us to comment on what happened last Friday when the American students came to spend the afternoon with us. I have to admit I was not expecting such kindness from our American colleagues but I’m glad because I liked what I saw. In 2/3 hours I made new friends. It was a nice experience I’ll always remember. We discussed a lot of topics such as the American and Portuguese educational system or the American/Portuguese life style. I wish more students could have this opportunity so that they could learn about life across the ocean.

Carolina– When teachers told us about the intercultural meeting some weeks ago, I couldn’t even imagine how enriching and rewarding it would be. I thought it would be a simple and formal conversation with students but it wasn’t. Besides the fact that we were practising this idiom and improving our skills with them, I believe we all realised how far we can go and the huge capacities wehave. One of the things I appreciated the most was the relaxed, friendly and enjoyable atmosphere we created between them and us.It seemed like we were a group of friends talking and sharing our life experiences. To end, I would like to thank the American students for spending this time with us and for being such lovely people and thank you, teachers, for the experience we’ve been through.

João Albano– Last Friday I had a unique experience. In the afternoon, we spoke to North- American students. With this amazing opportunity it was possible to discover some differences between the North-american and Portuguese cultures. We talked about our educational system and sports. Im the USA baseball and football are the most famous sporta whereas in Portugal we love soccer.Sports play an important role in the American society, taht’s why you can get a sports scholarship there to attend university.In Portugal, scholarhips are given to students according to their marks. But our class wasn’t just sitting and listening, we also showed our school to the students. I enjoyed this experience very much. I learned about USA and their culture.

Rúben- Last Friday I spent a great time with all the students. It was a very rewarding activity in which I could learn a lot and share all my thoughts and experiences. It was really worth it. I had never taken part in an intercultural exchange and it was a unique experience. I could practise my English and learn about different aspects of the USA and other countries. Emma was the person I spent more time with. She was a really kind person, very happy and all together we managed to spend an amazing time.I hope we can meet again and get to know the students better. I’d like to thank the teachers and the American students because nothing would be possible without their enthusiasm and will. I can’t find the right words to express the feelings I experienced. It was simply amazing!

Intercultural Meeting

Posted: April 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

Hello everyone.

Last Friday we had a wonderful day thanks to a group of North-American students that visited our English class at Fernão Mendes Pinto.Harmony, Arlene, Bobby, Kayla, Emma, Max, Gabby and Chloe come from different parts of the USA and are currently studying in Portugal in Universidade Nova. They spent the afternoon with 11º3 and there was time to talk, laugh, learn, have fun, discover new things about both countries and just enjoy the chance of being part of an intercultural meeting.

Thank you all for this enriching, rewarding and unforgettable experience! Check the photos :)

Here’s what some of our guests wrote:

Living in Portugal thus far has meant many essays, museums, and grammar classes, so it was wonderful to get out and speak with Portuguese and get out of the pattern of reading everything from a textbook. The fact that the Portuguese in question were amazingly approachable, intelligent and sweet teenagers was just an added bonus, but one that got me thinking. If I learned so much about Portugal through just a few hours of talk (we discussed everything from the Portuguese educational system to dessert recipes to nightlife in Lisbon), how much more could possibly be learned from a sustained interchange relationship? Besides wanting very much to return to the school to see ‘my group’, it reinforced for me exactly how important exchanges are for cultural understanding. With all of our backgrounds (Romania, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, Dominican Republic, etc.) I felt like I was taking part in an informal, hugely enjoyable meeting of the United Nations. 

Emma

It was truly a pleasure to spend some quality time with your students. They were extremely eager to find out about us and their excitement was contagious! You were right, they are all amazing students and they should all be very proud of their proficiency in English. They all have extremely bright futures ahead of them. Thank you for allowing us to be part of this amazing journey with the students. It is experiences like these that one remembers for a lifetime. I look forward to working with you and the school in the future!

Best of Wishes,

Arlene Sanchez

I understand the struggles of learning a language and when you move to a foreign country and don’t know the language, you can feel pretty helpless. I did, until this experience. This opportunity has satisfied every helpful feeling in my body as well as my every wish of sharing, caring, learning, and especially inspiring. Working with the high school was one of the most inspirational experiences in my travels thus far!! They helped me and I helped them; a truly cultural exchange! Language has always been a struggle for me, but these kids dive in everyday and were comfortable speaking with complete strangers! I am truly inspired to keep pushing for my language skills and keep sharing the ones I have! Thank you all for sharing this experience with me!
Peace,
Harmony

Remember?

Posted: March 29, 2012 in Uncategorized

Hello class! I hope you’re enjoying your Easter holidays and having loads of fun. You all deserve it!

Yesterday I found this video on youtube. It’s quite recent and it immediately made me think of what we discussed some time ago in our classes. Discrimination makes no sense ! Watch this ! (you might have to click on ” Watch on youtube” because since the video is recent, it’s still not available for publishing). I’d love to hear some of your comments to this video. (Click on the balloon)

:)

Posted: March 22, 2012 in Uncategorized

This is what I need.. and a ticket of course.

This is what I would ask for , if I had to make a wish at this exact moment.

Recent news

Posted: March 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

Hey there! We’ve recently finished the unit “The world of work”. We’ve analysed the most important changes that have taken place since the Industrial Revolution, we discussed the new patterns of today’s professional world and we finally looked at the gap year. We’ve asked our students to think about of how difficult it is to make the right choices and to build one’s path in life. We read some poems and also articles/diary pages of gap year students, we watched a BBC video and we even had a class debate. It was really interesting and our students, once again, didn’t let us down. Congratulations!!

Here’s some of the material we worked with in our lessons.

Enjoy 🙂

What do you think?

Posted: February 29, 2012 in Uncategorized

Diogo Domingues

Hi! I kind of agree and disagree with the statement because in my opinion imagination is more important than knowledge but a person with more knowledge could even imagine more stuff. I don’t know if u heard this famous expression that says: ”The more I learn/know, the less I know.”. This expression tells us that when you find an answer for something,a lot of new questions will appear from that answer. In the end my opinion is that knowledge expands our imagination and if imagination is unlimited, knowledge can also be. p.s.: Sorry for my english mistakes. 🙂

Dear Diogo,

It’s really nice to hear from you again. You show not only commitment and effort, but also, it’s clear to me that you love English (am I right?). Now, as regards your answer to the post, I have to agree with you when you say we’re constantly searching for answers and when we finally get them, new questions arise.That’s part of our nature as human beings, don’t you think? However, I do think imagination and knowledge are different assets and to be honest I’m not quite sure about whether they’re strictly connected or not. I can see your point when you say that those who possess more knowledge can imagine more (because their horizons are wider and that can be a big help, obviously) but still, some people are naturally very imaginative and creative and sometimes they don’t really know much about anything really, you see? I particularly enjoyed your last sentence “knowledge expands our imagination and if imagination is unlimited, knowledge can also be. ” It could be a slogan for an advertisement, uh?

Well done! And don’t apologize for mistakes because your writing is pretty good and it’s always a pleasure to read your texts.

Sunday gift (3)

Posted: February 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

Only because it’s Sunday and I thought the poem was really funny…

Today

Today I will not live up my potential.

Today I will not relate well to my peer group.

Today I will not contribute in class.

I will not volunteer one thing.

Today I will not strive to do better.

Today I will not achieve or adjust or grow enriched or get involved.

I will not put up my hand even if the teacher is wrong and I can prove it.

 

Today I might eat the eraser off my pencil.

I’ll look at the clouds.

I’ll be late.

I don’t think I’ll wash.

 

I need a rest.

Jean Little

« Modern Times represents the Industrial Revolution, during which human and handmade work was replaced by machines that could do a better and more perfect work,  at a higher speed, due to the production line. However this situation lead to an increase of unemployment. I think the film is very comic and  it somehow stands for the American Dream: the pursuit of happiness and love.» Catarina Lírio

« In my opinion the film is very interesting and comic and I liked it very much. Love and friendship are taught through silence. It is unique and up to date.» Gustavo Andrêz

« In my opinion the film was educational and very funny. The way it teaches us is unique, not using a single spoken word. It teaches us about love and the importance of never giving up.» Petru Murga

«The film is a very good one. It gives us an important and timeless lesson. We should never give up hope, love and friendship. Also, we must never stop our pursuit of happiness even though there are difficult times.» Rúben Domingues

« I think this is a unique film because it speaks about two people in love and in the pursuit of happiness. They are about to have a nervous breakdown (Charlie could not avoid it) because of the society they were living in. Their jobs required more effort and speed than usual. In my opinion, despite the age of the movie, this is really a timeless film. Its message is very important, even nowadays. We should never give up our dreams and we should keep moving on without losing our hope.» Diogo Domingues

:) Sunday Gift (2)

Posted: February 19, 2012 in Uncategorized

How about visiting New York through a song ?

Enjoy!

Every weekend I’ll be sending you all a special gift. It could be anything ( a poem, a picture, a song). The possibilities are limitless. I hope you enjoy them and I’d be very glad to get something back from you too. Let’s say : it’s not a gift to me, it’s your gift to the whole class. Does that sound ok? Come one, show me your creativity!

4- The World of Work

Posted: February 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

We’ve recently started a new unit in our English class : The world of work. During our first two lessons, students commented on some cartoons and images and they also watched “Modern Times” with Charlie Chaplin.

NOW….

Here’s an article from the New York Times which is related to our main topic (check: www.nytimes.com). It’s interesting and updated and it tell us about how young people in London have been struggling so hard to find a job. You can also watch the video at the end of the article.

Keep in mind:  Reading newspaper articles like these, whether online or on paper, is a wonderful way to improve your language store and keep you in touch with everyday language, the way it is spoken by its native community. The benefits are countless. Enjoy!

 P.S. If you read the article, please let me know. Write a brief comment on the baloon on the top of the post. One/two sentences will be enough. Say if you enjoyed or not and say what you think about the topic.

THE NEW YORK TIMES – 15th February 2012

For London Youth, down and out is way of life.

Andrew Testa for The New York Times
She is 19 years old, well-spoken and self-possessed. But like many young people in Britain, she could not afford to remain at her university, making it impossible to find a job. London’s youth riots last summer have closed even more doors to people like her.

Sweet Valentine

Posted: February 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

We all know Valentine quotes, poems and lines are a bit tacky, but I think this one is O.K. 🙂

Have a nice day!

 

If I were a poet

I’d write poems to you.

If I were a musician,

Music too.

But as I’m only an average man

I give you my love

As best as I can.

:) Sunday gift (1)

Posted: February 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

” Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.Dream.Discover.”

Mark Twain

 

Every weekend I’ll be sending you all a special gift. It could be anything ( a poem, a picture, a song). The possibilities are limitless. I hope you enjoy them and I’d be very glad to get something back from you too. Let’s say : it’s not a gift to me, it’s your gift to the whole class. Does that sound ok? I hope so. Come one, show me your creativity!

 

By Diogo Domingues

Human nature sometimes feels attracted to the unknown. Consider Billy’s experience as narrated in the story and the dangers of being naïve when trusting a stranger.

I don’t agree with this statement, in my opinion human nature feels afraid of the unknown. Discrimination still exists because people are afraid of the unknown, they are afraid of something different, afraid of changes. In Billy’s experience I think that he wasn’t attracted to the unknown but when he saw pets at the B&B , he thought the place had a familiar atmosphere, so he decided to enter. I also think he wasn’t naive because when he entered the house he felt suddently comfortable. It wasn’t so cold as outside and when he saw the landlady, he had no reasons not to trust her because she was a midlle-aged woman, very maternal and nice. So in a word, Billy’s story was unexpected and written by his unhappy fate.

Dear Diogo,
First of all thanks a lot for sending me your text. I have to say I chose your essay because it was not only well written but also a bit unexpected. I particularly enjoyed the fact that you disagreed with the statement and were able to account for your view in an intelligent way.
Critical and reflexive thinking: this is what students need to focus on. And you’re on the right way.
Well done !

By Marta Ferreira

As human beings we tend to believe in everything we see, to trust everything we know and everything that is familiar to us, that’s why the unknown and the unfamiliar things and situations are so appealing to everyone.

To really trust someone, it’s better if you have some kind of precedent, a previous experience dealing with that person, because, in spite of being naïve or not, we can easily be deceived by someone with bad intentions.

Taking into account Billy’s age, he was easily fooled by the landlady mostly because he trusted her, believed in her kindness and ignored her craziness, he considered all that was good in her…

Nowadays it’s really difficult (or at least it should be) to trust someone we don’t know because we can never really know what their real intentions are.

Dear Marta,

Your text is a piece of good advice to everyone. To trust someone, especially nowadays, is no easy task, indeed. People sometimes get confused about the means to reach the ends, they loose sight of their priorities and values and can become really mean and dangerous. Fortunately, there’s still hope and a lot of good felllows all around.

I’d say your text shows a mature and conscious view.

Thanks a lot ! Have a nice week.