English Logic vs. Portuguese Language

Some question for students reflection- after watching the video:

* Do they look nervous or worried about the mistakes they can possibly make?

* Do their mistakes interfere in our comprehension?

* What is the best way to improve our language skills: 

- to speak imperfectly and communicate, and sometimes be corrected for our eventual mistakes;

OR

- avoid mistakes and do not speak until we are 100% sure of all structures.

* Are you 100% sure of all grammatical structures in Portuguese? When you write a dissertation or a report for work (or some sort of important writing) in Portuguese, do you proof read it or you always write it all correct straight away?

No language has its rules carved in stone. Language is a living system and as we use and interact with it (interaction is its purpose, by the way) we change it. Mistakes are part of communication as much as they are part of its reconstruction.

Language is  privilege of humans, and it is here to be used and abused!

History VS.

Hello dear students,

This week I am posting a collection of videos from TED (a famous educational youtube channel) where they illustrate 2 sides of a story- regarding famous characters or events in history.

They expose the facts in a court where there are the judge, the defence attorney and the prosecutor.

I find it very interesting!

Hope you like it!

Helen Keller- an inspiration for us all

Helen Keller

Helen was born in the United States in 1880. She became very sick at the age of 9 months and she then became permanently blind and deaf.

Her parents noticed at the age of 6 that she had a lot of spirit, but she was in a prison due to her early blindness and deafness. They felt no one could help her get out of her prison, the key has been thrown away and lost forever.

But even so they persisted, they searched many specialists and they've heard of a school who taught deaf and blind people. They brought the the teacher Anne Sullivan to their house, hoping she would help Helen somehow.

Anne Sullivan was persistent and caring. She saw Helen had a lot of potential and she never gave up.

Helen learned to read, write, express herself in English, Latin, French and German. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of art-degree (Harvard).

This is an amazing inspiring story, for us all!

In this video Helen is with her friend, communicating with her hands.

Helen also tried for many years to speak normally (she wasn't mute) but without a reference of sounds it was difficult. But even so she tried. You can she her speaking in this video.

Helen and Anne Sullivan

Helen and Anne Sullivan

MAGIC "E"! FANTASTIC PRONUNCIATION TIP

LINK TO PRACTICE

https://quizlet.com/270185664/ingles-the-magic-e-flash-cards/

Thesaurus

Thesaurus: is a dictionary of synonyms

Very useful when producing a language (writing or speaking) to know alternative words to communicate. It makes a great practice to learn new words!

WEBSITE AND APP

http://www.thesaurus.com

Example:

DIY (Do It Yourself)

DIY (Do It Yourself)

This is a great youtube channel for your English practice and there are many interesting tips!

Here are some of the:

Cooking and Measuring

Hello guys,

Welcome back!

Here are two interesting videos about kitchen utensils and about cooking measures that can be very helpful.

If you want to practice what you have just learned, here is the perfect link for it:

http://allrecipes.com