Category Archives: Resources

What to learn: a funny way to revise

I have found this site only today http://www.what2learn.com/ and I can’t wait to share it with you. It has lots of interactive exercises although most of the published games won’t be of any use to you as they deal with Maths, History and some other subjects.
But it has some games devoted to spelling and this is where you can do a lot of practice. I especially like the game  below these lines because it trains your ears too. If you feel it’s too easy for you , you can always click here and choose a harder level or play hangman or whatever you fancy.

This site also allows me to create my own interactive games and I’ve decided to try the hangman game first and see what it looks like….  awesome!!! Come on ..what are you waiting for??? Play the game  and guess the word before Grandma is abducted by aliens..  Target language : Sports. Level: Pre-intermediate

Unusual Sports

Victory belongs to the most persevering. Napoleon Bonaparte

There are no gains without pains. Adlai Stevenson

These inspirational quotes are  aimed at people who need some sort of encouragement when finally and after years of putting off taking up some kind of exercise they have finally decided  to come to terms with the acute necessity our body seems to have for some sort of physical activity.

 Couch potatoes are not trendy but let’s face it ,going to the gym doesn’t guarantee a six pack, flat abs and a tight butt . In fact, if you are thinking that by overworking your body you’re going to look like Naomi Campbell or Hugh Jackman , you’ll soon give up. Engaging in sports activities like tennis, football and even walking for an hour or so  will keep you interested for a longer time . But if you find these sports too boring or too conventional , why don’t you try any of these ??

Pancake Racing : In which each participant carries a pancake in a frying pan. All the runners must toss their pancakes as they run and catch them in the frying pan.

Welly/Wellie wanging or throwing – A freestyle sport that originated in Britain, most likely in the county of Yorkshire. Competitors are required to hurl a Wellington boot as far as possible within boundary lines, from a standing or running start. Each player has three throws, the longest distance thrown within the zone wins. Note that the word wellie is also often spelt as welly.

Wheelbarrow and Straw Bale Race – Each player in the team races over 50 yards with 4 straw bales on the barrow, then tosses the bales over a 6ft height bar. The quickest team wins.

 Cheese-Rolling – During the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, competitors race down a steep hill in Gloucestershire, attempting to catch a Double Gloucester cheese which has been set rolling from the top. Often this results in many injuries.

Haggis hurling or throwing – A Scottish game involving, yes you guessed it, throwing a haggis. Modern Haggis Hurling is judged on the basis of distance and accuracy of the throw (hurl) and a split or burst haggis is immediately disqualified, as the tradition dictates that the haggis must be fit to eat after landing, yummy. The sport requires subtle technique rather than brute force, as the hurl must result in a gentle landing to keep the haggis’ skin intact. Despite it’s eccentricity, the practitioners take the sport seriously, with a World Haggis Hurling Championship. Haggis Hurling was even supposed to be presented as a demonstration sport at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Plans to use a fake haggis in a hurling competition at a Highland festival in Melbourne have split the purists from those who are fearful of the mess a high-speed impacting example of Scotland’s national dish may cause (see Haggis gets a bashing from fakes). It is unclear to the uninitiated if the sport promotes the enjoyment of this often maligned delicacy (to which a famous ode of praise was once composed by Robbie Burns himself). According to a Canadian source that disapproves the practice as insensible, the haggis is the main event at the annual Burns Night celebrations held by Scots and Scottish wannabees the world over.

Now , have a look at this diagram you have helped me build with your contributions  during the lesson. I have used a tool called Gliffy, which I recommend since it’s free.


Online newspapers

Sadly, and this is just my personal opinion, fewer people are reading the print papers. I know that some people call them the “dead tree edition” but I still want to retain some of the old ways. I can’t think of many things as pleasurable as having my midmorning cup of coffee sitting at a café terrace relaxing under the spring sun enjoying a juicy piece of news,can you? I know going online would be great for the environment but… I can’t help being a bit selfish here !

And you, so you still read newspapers or have you already moved on line??

If you are one of those who prefer reading online , let me show you a place I’ve found great for reading newspapers online.It is called The Paper Boy and here you can search for online newspapers by country,title,city…etc

One-minute world news

This site from the BBC is great if you don’t have much time and want to know what’s happening in the world.
You only need one minute and it will certainly help you improve your listening skills. Go to this website http://news.bbc.co.uk/ and then click on the small text which says Watch ONE-MINUTE WORLD NEWS, as shown in the image.

Hope you like it!!

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Fancy a listening comprehension??