Christmas videos and New Year’s Resolutions

• New Year’s Resolutions for English Language Learners: https://youtu.be/XZUb69IocuA 
• Funny scene of Friends: https://youtu.be/UV7fZd7gjJ8 
• Phrases expressing resolutions: https://youtu.be/SVJRq2ezhFQ 

• Christmas Karaoke https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF22689E438E0C08A

• Crazy Christmas traditions around the world https://youtu.be/wFXkazFvFI8

• The Gingerbread Man story https://youtu.be/pckuS--UlV4

• A Christmas Carol - short version https://youtu.be/HqMfGq3okZY

• Mr Bean’s Christmas https://youtu.be/HKUY_gOxLas

• Nightmare Before Christmas- when Jack discovers Christmastown https://youtu.be/yXo-mqmiGew

Halloween videos

Funny:

Friends - Halloween Party, Part 1

Friends - Halloween Party, Part 2

History of the celebration:

Halloween History - Animated for Kids

Girl and boy

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had a dog. Her parents had gone on an excursion and told her when she was afraid to put her hand under the bed where her dog was. One night she listened to the sound of the bath and put his hand under the bed. 

The dog was sorry and he was not afraid of the other. The other evening the same night was heard and the girl was tired of listening to all of them. so they went to the bathroom and when they came back her parents ... the girl together with the dog were hanging in the toilet and in the mirror she said that only the dog

Helen’s nightmare

Helen had just turned twelve. That evening on Tuesday October 19th, she had laid down early when her mother's voice awakened her. The voice came from the lower floor. "Helen, come down quickly to the kitchen. I want to speak to you" Helen, clearly annoyed and sleepy, came out barefoot and before her bare foot touched the first step, a hand pulled her violently back. It belonged to her mother, who was scared to whisper "I heard it too".

Halloween competition: Write a ghost story!

Letter of expressing a preference

Dear Editor,
     I read the article in your newspaper about the refreshment bar and the vending machines. As far as I know, it would be better to provide a refreshment bar.
     First of all, the refreshment bar will contain lots of healthy food for young people to eat. Moreover, eating healthy food and watching its benefits on them will probably make them want to buy and consume more and more. If that doesn't work and teenagers aren't buying this kind of food because they might prefer unhealthy snacks, classes should be set up about healthy eating and explain to them what is best for their diet.
     The vending machines would be a bad idea. The reason for this is that they sell junk food, such as fizzy drinks, potato chips, candy bars to name but a few. Furthermore, this food won't be nutritional and won't give them the energy that is needed to keep them focused, clear minded, energetic and healthy.
     To sum up, I believe that the best idea would be the refreshment bar. I hope my thoughts will be considered.

              Yours sincerely,
                     George Georgandelis

Webinar on ECCE writing: Simplified criteria and corrected samples

ECCE writing: Corrected letters and the marking criteria

My favourite photograph

This photograph was taken when I went on holidays to Poland. This summer my brother and I visited our father who lives in a big town in Poland called Gdynia. We went for a walk and we saw those padlocks. They symbolize the love between two persons who want to lock their relationship with this purpose. This phenomenon started many years ago when a king loved a woman. The woman was poor but she was beautiful as the myth said. The king wanted to marry her and he gave her a present. The present was a padlock with a key in the shape of a heart. That is an old but interesting story about this bridge with love-locks!!

My favourite photograph

This is one of my favourite photos. I took it while I was on a four-day trip to Thessaloniki with the 3rd grade of my junior high school. At the time, we were in a small village in Edessa near Thesalloniki. I love this photo because we had a beautiful view from up there.

ECCE SPEAKING

Official complete speaking: https://youtu.be/cN2FoaeEwIc

Tips for Part 1: https://youtu.be/23ISOxFzmG4

Tips for Part 2: https://youtu.be/VjEi8wCep-s

Tips for Part 3: https://youtu.be/R2fgaxDIDco

Tips for Part 4: https://youtu.be/vHmVFv7gXgI

Examples:

Part 2: https://youtu.be/gDRJ8HZMc_Q

Part 3: https://youtu.be/yAK0WhfC07o

Letter of recommendation

Dear editor,

I am writing in response to an article about the international summer camp that I read about in your magazine.I would like to nominate my best friend John.
He is a 17-year-old high school student.He can speak English in a high standard and he can also speak French and Portuguese.He is a very sociable and reliable person.He is a member of a basketball team.However,he likes to be a little adventurous,so every summer he ties something dangerous.For example,two years ago he went skydiving and then he tried bungee jumping.
Well this experience would be a really good asset for him.At first,this program would help him gain new experiences and that would be really important for John as he didn't use to travel a lot when he was younger.In addition,this program will help him be more mature,as he is going to learn how to live alone without his parents' help.Last but not least,this chance is something rare and it doesn't always happen. It is also a chance to brush up on his Portuguese and his English.
I hope John will be chosen for this international program.I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours
Themis Chavakis

One-day-diary about my holidays

Hi everyone,

I am writing to tell you about one of the best places I had visited in Poland where I went for some days. My parents are from Poland, so I usually go there. This country is very interesting because it has many forests, rivers, traditional cities but the worst thing about the place is that the weather is awful.

When I went there, my dad wanted to saw show me and my brother one of the oldest castles in Poland. However, this country is huge so he chose to go to Gdansk. This old city is a castle with huge tall walls. The inhabitants used this city like a port too. Nowadays it is told said that it is one of the six biggest cities in Poland. 

In 1939 Gdansk was free and it didn't belong to Poland but after the Second World War with Germany it united with the country. After the war people renovated all the houses and the castle and some years later, people started staying there. This city has traditional houses with stones and wood and the castle is the same as it was in the Middle Ages!

I like this town so much and I hope you will visit it in the future.
                   
Kisses,
Argyro

A letter of recommendation

Dear Editor, 

  I am writing in reply to your announcement , which I read about in your magazine . I would like to nomite myself because i would love to take part in the International Summer Camp.

  I am a 15-year-old hight school student . I speak English fluently and very well ,also I know some basics to communicate with someone who speaks French . I like being with others so i am in a basketball club and i am responsible of the younger groups when the coach is absent . I am really into adrenaline since i have tried parkour , karate and canoeing . However through many group activities i have become sociable and a teamworker . Furthermore , I am hardworking and always optimistic because we  can face everything as long as our mind is clean and not frustrated .

  I believe this summer camp experience could be greately beneficial for me. In the past i have taken part in an exhange program to Germany so , I will not be panicked or anything else . However , I loved traveling abroad and I would like to dothis as many times my limits allow me . I feel like this due to believing that communicating  with new people and exchanging ideas , beliefs and experiencing others culturs is a priceless chance that someone must grab at once . 

  All in all , I think it would really benefit me such an experience  and  I hope you will take my words in consideration when deciding  who the chosen people will be . I look forward to hearing from yu soon .

                                                          Yours sincerely ,

                                                          Andreas Plevrakis

Letter of recommendation

Dear Editor,
      I am writing in response to your announcement which i read in your magazine. I would like to nominate myself.
      I am a 15-year-old high school student. I speak Greek and English well. I am very sociable and adventurous as i enjoy meeting new people and having fun with them. I' ve been to many different summer camps before and i know how most of them work and i think that i would be very helpful to everyone. In addition, i strongly believe that i could help in case of an accident or an emergency, for example if someone gets injured because i know how to give firsy aid.
      This summer camp could be very beneficial for me because i will get to know more people and make make friends. Moreover, i will improve my social intreacting abilities and gain great, new and unforgettable experiences.
      All in all, this summer camp could be of great benefit to me and i hope that i will be chosen for this camp. I look forward to hearing from you.

                           Yours sincerely,
                                  George Georgandelis

Greek mythology!

MY FAVOURITE SPORTS!!!!!

I love sports especially basketball, football, volleyball and parkour. It is Summer now in Greece and i have all the free time to go out and play with my friends all these awesome sports. My favourite sport is parkour and one Summer i would like to go to Santorini where every year "Red bull art of motion" takes place. This is the official global competition of parkour. Every year the best athletes or freerunners go there and compete for the first place. It is my dream to go there, watch the event and talk to my favourite freerunners like; Yoann lerroux and Dimitris kyrsanidis or even parkour with them. I really want to go there one day and make my dream come true.

A warm hi from Andrew

Hello my online friends,

  I am writing in this fascinating forum to present my incredible family to all you hungry for information people.
Well, I am really excited to talk about this subject.First of all, I have been living in Heraklion for my whole life along with my parents and brother in a a house with two floors near the center . My mother is a teacher in a primary school and my father is retired air force officer and unfortunately I do not get to see George , my brother a lot because he just turned eighteen and he is almost to the army camps to serve his duty towards our proud but exhausted country which means that, he is rarely home .However , I feel delighted to have him with me whenever he is free. I also have a cute white dog Plouto , you see how I got influenced ;) Mickey mouse ... anyway that 's all for today.

See you  on the next upload pals , kissess :)) !!!!

ECCE CHOICES EBOOK

Free reader
https://app.burlingtonenglish.com/Readers/Login/Coupon

Free ebook
http://burlingtonbooksgreece.s3.amazonaws.com/ebooks/b1-b2/RevChoicesECCE_e-Book.exe

Family Presentation

I live with my mum and my little sibling who is called Paul.We stay in a cozy house in Heraklion centre. My father has been in Poland since 2013, so there are the three of us in my family.

My house is spacious. It has three bedrooms two bathrooms and a big living room. The one thing that I don't like in my home is the view. I would prefer to wake up and see the sea as a view. I like the area where I live but when I grow up, I would like to live in Thessaloniki because it has better colleges than Heraklion.

In conlusion, I like all my every day life with all the advantages and disadvantages!

My Family!

I really get along with my family.I live with my parents and my little sibling who is 10 years old.There are four of us in my family.We spend quality time together playing many games like basketball,board games and video games.I sometimes feel homesick when I am away from home and I can't stay one week away from my home.

Summer English Course

This summer I'm having English lesson.I'm really excited about that because I love the English language.I am having English lessons three times a week.However, the bad thing about the lessons is that they take place early in the morning.In conclusion, I like the English course in summer and I think that our English teachers are going to prepare some really interresting projects for us to do during the summer.

ECCE SAMPLE TESTS

ECCE SAMPLE TEST, FORM C

Note: this sample test contains listening, reading, and writing only. (Released in 2017)

• Form C Test Booklet
• Audio: General Instructions & Part 1 | Part 2

ECCE SAMPLE TEST, FORM B

• Form B Test Booklet
• Audio: General Instructions & Part 1 | Part 2

ECCE 2013 SAMPLE TEST

• 2013 Sample Test Booklet
• Audio: Part 1 Instructions | Part 1 | Part 2 Instructions | Part 2

WRITING

http://www.cambridgemichigan.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ECCE-Writing-Benchmarks-20141.pdf

 

ECCE Choices Revision test units 1-3:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byxd1uYTsWKPX0lNMFJRVGhIejg

 

ECCE Choices revision test units 4-7:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byxd1uYTsWKPbzQ0Mm40bDc4enc

 

ECCE Choices revision test units 8-10:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byxd1uYTsWKPbmY5dGFIYkxsZkk

 

ECCE Choices revision test units 1-10:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byxd1uYTsWKPX0lNMFJRVGhIejg

 

ECCE Choices Practice Test:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byxd1uYTsWKPeVZqQmZzeWd6OTg

FCE test

Free: Computer-based sample tests

• Watch this tutorial before you start.
• Check your answers as you do the test. Once the test has finished you will not be able to check them.

Reading and Use of English sample test

Listening sample test

Writing sample test

Answer keys:

Reading and Use of English answer key

Listening answer key

Extra online mission: If today was our last day

1) Watch Ric Elias explain what the three things that really matter in life are, as he unravels the thoughts that sprung into his mind the minute his doomed plane went down. https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias

2) Listen to Nickelback's song 'If Today Was Your Last Day' and contemplate on what each one of us would do if we knew that we were running out of time. Official video: https://youtu.be/lrXIQQ8PeRs Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nickelback/iftodaywasyourlastday.html

3) Blog your thoughts about: What is truly worth our effort and attention? What constitutes the very essence of life?

Test writing units 4-7

Dear Editor,

I am writing to nominate myself for the summer placement programme that I read about in your magazine. I would like to nominate myself because I think that I have the suitable knowledge to work with other students this summer.
Firstly , I am very parient and discreet , because in my school all students trust me with their secrets. Secondly , I have been elected in the school council and with the other members of the school council , I solve various problems of the school. Moreover , I attend English lessons and this May I am going to take my certificate in English.
In addition to this , every summer I work to the village park " Zografakis ". I spend my free time with children and play with them. Furthermore ,in the village park " Zografakis " , I have learned how to work , so I am the most suitable person for this position .
All in all , I am the correct person and I want to work for you this summer. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Nick kokkinos

Listening activities

 

Μάθημα 16: Hip Hop Music

Κατεβάστε το πλήρες κείμενο του: Μάθημα 16: Hip Hop Music (.pdf, 108 KB)

Ακούστε το: Μάθημα 16: Hip Hop Music

Μάθημα 17: Jeet Kune Do

Κατεβάστε το πλήρες κείμενο του: Μάθημα 17: Jeet Kune Do (.pdf, 109 KB)

Ακούστε το: Μάθημα 17: Jeet Kune Do

Μάθημα 18: Skateboarding

Κατεβάστε το πλήρες κείμενο του: Μάθημα 18: Skateboarding (.pdf, 115 KB)

Ακούστε το: Μάθημα 18: Skateboarding

 

 

Taken from: http://www.hau.gr/?i=learning.el.podcasts-in-english

ECCE SPEAKING AND WRITING

The actual evaluation of the speaking section

Writing criteria

SPEAKING

• sample of a test taker prompt
• sample of an examiner prompt 
• speaking sample score and commentary 

(From http://cambridgemichigan.org/test-takers/prepare-study/)

Useful idioms since this day is coming!

Reading strategies

Giving advice

3: I have been in a similar situation before 2 years ago and I think that the best thing to do is to try to  explain to him that he is too young to buy a cellphone. (FULL STOP) He can wait for one or two years to buy it. You can suggest him  that he can use sometimes your cellphone if he wants to contact with his friends.

2: A similar thing once happened to my friend. (FULL STOP)  Try to explain to him that spending a lot of hours on the Internet is unhealthy. He can try to do some sports or find a hobby which appeals to him.

4: As a teenager, I believe that the best thing to do is to persuade your friend that yesteday you were very busy and had a lot of stress. I can understand how your friend must feel but I think she absolve will forgive you.

5: I can understand how you must feel about your son. (FULL STOP) As a teenager I believe that the best thing to do is to explain to him how important it is to exercise, the benefits of being healthy and having a healthy body. Moreover, try to explain to him how important it is to be a good student for his future studies in university and moreover in his job.

How to write successfully at home

To write a good essay and take a satisfactory mark you have to:

1.study the class notes
2.read the sample text in the student's book
3.write the first draft
4.correct your writing adding adjectives and new words
5.write it on the writing notebook and take care of the mistakes

How ECCE speaking is evaluated

 

 

Task A:Letter

Dear Editot
   I am writting this letter in responce to the article I read in your newspaper.As a teenager I belieave that the High School Board of Education should cut the home maintenance and cooking courses and keep the driving and road safety course.
   First of all,from my point of view it is better to kep the lesson whichyou learn driving and road safety,because ti could help to reduce road accidents.Secondly,children should learn some things about driving and when they will go to the driver school,they will propably know a lot of things about it.Moreover, learning road safety is very important,because it makes children's future safe and they will know some things about how to protect themselves.Last but not least,I think with this course teenagers will enjoy themselves,because it is not such a dull lesson that can make children bored.
   On the other hand,in my opinion home maintenance and cooking is as useful as the driving and road safety lesson but not the most important.Firstly,some boys will propably find this lesson repetitive and all these yearswanted to stop it.In addition it is importangt for teenagers to learn how to cook and maintance the house but more useful is to learn some things about driving and safety.In conclusion, I think both of these lessons are beneficial but the driving and road safety is more beneficial than the other.
    I hope that you will take my suggestion into account and I am looking forward to your reply.

                                                                                                   Yous Sincerely

                                                                                                                       Nikos Koutentakis

Computer room time: Jobs

1) Read this text https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading-skills-practice/skills-21st-century-workplace and do the two activities under it. What is your score?

2) Now watch this video of "Friends" https://youtu.be/cslyPxzMLWg After that, leave a comment under this post saying what the most important things are when you want to succeed in your job.

You can use http://www.dictionary.com/

Letter of opinion

ECCE WRITING
TASK 1
Dear Jane
         I am writing to explain to you what I think of your decision. I think that you shouldn't leave your acting career , because in my opinion you earn a lot of money from this work and being an actress is very useful in your life.
          So , in my opinion , you mustn't leave your acting career. First of all , as I said , you make a living and you are the idol of the people who come to see you. Secondly , you can learn more and more about the theater and if you continue your acting career , maybe you will be a star of the theater. Furthermore , in the theater you can have new friends that will play with you.
          On the other side of the coin , if you stop your acting career at least , you would nt have the money that you now make and to be again a normal teenager is just a waste of time. Finally, if if you stop your career now , then you might be very sad because in the theater as I said you can have friends that will not see you again, and that is a shame for you and for them.
           In conclusion , I want to advise you not to stop this work that it is very good for you because it is a pity. I look forward to reading your answer.

                        Best wishes
                     Nick kokkinos

Letter of opinion

      Dear Jane
    I have read the article on the newspaper about you stopping your career and I am writing to express my opposition to your decision
    In my opinion, it's a shame to stop your carer, because you are a talented actor. Moreover, your fans have been shocked at your decision. Thirdly, you have appeared in ten movies before, which means that you are a talented actor and this is the reason why ten acting companies have chosen you to play in ten movies. You are only a fourteen-year-old girl and you have achieved to play in ten movies. When you become an adult, you will already be a well-known actor and the companies will pick you easily to play in movies and finally build a big carer in acting
    I understand that is difficult to stay far from your hometown, your family and your friends. Try to overcome the difficulties and do the hobby you want. Moreover, you can find new friend in the new town. If you become a famous actor, you will have a lot of money and you will be able to afford to travel often to your hometown.
     To sum up, I believe that it ill be a shame to stop your career. Try to overcome the difficulties.


                                                                                                     Yours,
                                                                                             Manolis Lagoudakis 

Letter of opinion

Dear Jane,

   I am writing this letter to express my agreement with your decision which is to stop your career. I think, it is important to do whatever you want and not whatever others want. If you do what you choose, you will propably enjoy your life. So i agrre with your choice.
   First of all, stopping your career means relaxing life. Namely, not so many jobs to do and not travels. Secondly, returning to your hometown is a very good idea because you will have a good time there and actually you will live with your family. Moreover, if you stop your carrer, you will focus on your lessons, which is necessary for your life and your future. Maybe in the future you will continue your career as a movie star.
   There are some disadvantages of continuing your career. For example, if you keep doing your acting career, you are going to have a hard life and not enjoy it. You will have to travel, which is echausting and involves a lot of work. Furthermore, you are going to stay away from your family. At this age it is necessary to live with your parents or with someone from your family. Moreover, as a movie star you will not be able to focus on your lessons. So it will be hard for you to have a bright future. Finally, sometimes fans are annoying and they will not let you have a relaxing life.
   To sum up, you are making the right choice. A message from me is that you mustn't let others change your mind and do whatever you want.

  Best wishes,
  Michael Pervolarakis