The Crazy Students: March 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

FOR BEN: Cambridge practice book page 86 writing part1

Sports are an essential part of our life. In fact, sports allow improving everyone's mental and physical health. Most of the time, sports bring great results for people of any age, especially to young people. However there are not only benefits but also some drawbacks.

To begin with, there can be lots of hidden expenses when you participate in sports. For instance, clothing, coaching costs and equipment. Practices can eat up a lot of your time,especially if there is travelling involved so as a result you might loose a lots of events that you would like to attend as a teenager. Finally if practices get harder you may suffer from anxiety and have sleep problems.

However, benefits overweight the drawbacks of participating in a sport. First of all, one of the most obvious advantages of a sport is increasing physical health. Additionally sports is a way to make friends as similar interst are shared. Moreover, it is believed that participation in sports can increase academic achievement. Finally, they will learn the value of teamwork ( depends on the sport ) and learn to select the trustworthy people.

So, do you think all young people should play a sport ? Personally, I think it is up to them, Not anyone is made to play sports, although everyone should give it a try because it is a real learning experience.

Monday, March 30, 2020

Some food for thought

Step 1: Watch this informative video. You can also activate the English subtitles. Notice the vocabulary which is used.

Coronavirus: How did it really start and how do we stop it from happening again?

Step 2: Read these articles and/or other related ones on the web, concerning the recently imposed lockdown and quarantine due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The causes and effects of our current situation could easily be topics of discussion in all the official oral exams in June.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

E-MAIL TO KEELY

Dear Keely,

Thanks for your e-mail. You know you can always ask me anything.

Your idea sounds really interesting, but l can understand why you are unwilling to go. Being at that school, there is a small possibility you may feel lonely, and you might become antisocial by not having friends. Another thing that should be considered is the fact that (a little too formal here for a letter to a penpal) there is a chance of the new school (we need a subject for every gerund or infinitive) not growing on you and maybe ~~not liking it~~. it not being to your liking.

From the opposing point of view (this is not an essay- your writing must be informal!), it would be rewarding to be a student of this school because you will have the opportunity to have a good business/ professional future. And did you know that going to this school can be a good way to make new friends and socialize? So you never know, you might enjoy it. (bravo, this is the appropriate tone)

Overall, I think it's a good idea. If I were you, I would definitely go there at least once, just to see if you like it. But it's up to you and you should do what feels right. Let me know what you decide, and if you go, send me an e-mail to ~~see~~ tell me what is your first impressions are.

Love, ('Best Wishes' would be better for a penpal)
Manolis

Bravo Manolis for your effort to use our new vocabulary and paragraph plan. Your advice is very good, too, and makes sense. Take a look at my corrections here as well as at your classmates' posts below and let me know if you understand or agree with my changes. Be careful with some essay expressions you keep using in informal contexts. This removes 'communication effect' marks from candidates.

Content 5/5
Language 3/5
Organisation 4/5
Communication effect 3/5

Total score: 15/20! That is great! Keep up the effort, talented blogger! Christina 👌👏💪

Informal letter

Dear Keeley,

Thanks for your email. I hope you are doing great. It is great hearing from you. I am so happy that you asked for my advice. You know that you can always ask me anything you want.I can totally understand the difficult situation that you are in.It is hard to make such a tough decision, COMMA HERE especially if it is going to have an effect on your future.

To begin with, COMMA I can understand how hard it is for you to leave your school, as you will have to start over and make new friends. Secondly, COMMA you might find it tough to adapt ~~be adapted~~, due to the fact that (a little too formal here) everything is going to be new to you.

However, there are many benefits of going to that music high school that you might not have thought about. First of all, you are going to meet new people that are devoted to music too. Additionally, you are going to have specialist teachers that will help you not only be a better musician, COMMA but also to try out new instruments. Finally, you may end up performing in concerts and maybe that will ~~help you~~ lead to a career.

I hope that you found my advice helpful. If I were you, I would take this opportunity without a second thought, but it is up to you. Let me know what you decide.

Take care,

Evridiki

*Remember: always use commas after linking expressions at the beginning of the sentence.

Great piece of writing! Friendly tone and loads of B2-level expressions.

Content 5/5
Organisation 4/5
Language 4/5
Communicative effect 4/5 --> could be 5/5

17/20 --> very close to 18/20!! Well done, amazing blogger! Christina 👍💕💟

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

ex. G, p. 111 Student's book (Letter/Email) B2 (lower)

Dear Keeley,

I'm glad to have received your email and I hope you figure something out after my suggestions, COMMA as that's a serious decision for your future.Also, you will certainly benefit from that school, COMMA since it is specifically designed for talented students, like you, COMMAS and many more who might not have the opportunity to have a learning experience like that.

To begin with, I can understand why you are not comfortable with this decision. I was in your shoes 9 years ago when I had to choose between the mathematic school and the normal/ conventional one, where most students used to be. So after a lot of consideration, I opted for the maths school and today I am one of the best mathematicians in the country, having a really well-paid job and a family, too. * So, if where you, I would probably opt for the music school for the simple reason that it will be one ~~off~~ of the most beneficial ~~colleges~~ high schools for you and for every talented musician to go to.

On the other hand, you may lose some friends and ~~won't~~ you may not be able to communicate with them in person when you are used to, in the mornings before the school ~~ring rangs~~ bell rings and ~~start~~ the lessons start. Nevertheless, (that is a little too formal for a letter to a friend- you can still use however) you will be able to chat with them, COMMA using ~~the~~ social media or even having video chats with them providing you have a smartphone or a tablet. Besides, you could meet them at cafés and talk about the news in their school, as you will be absent.

In conclusion, that's a great opportunity for you το expand your knowledge on music and try to study it at the future.Nonetheless, (too formal again) it's up to you what you choose and I hope that you are well-informed about the music school and what it will imply.

Love/ Best wishes is more appropriate for a penpal,
Anderson-> you must sign off with your first name

*Jim, you are supposed to be a student with an English-speaking friend. You don't have to assume the role of a successful adult just to convince your friend to follow your advice. You have to be you and that is enough! (Good life advice, by the way!) So you are just a student choosing to pursue Maths and you recommend this kind of special school to your penpal. Simple as that!

Your attempt at writing the letter was a great one! Some words could be a little less formal, but still you proved you can use advanced vocabulary and grammar. Your sympathy towards your friend and good advice also gave you marks. Pay attention to my corrections, which we can discuss in person or in the chat group with the rest of your class.

Communicative effect 4/5 (because of the way you signed off and your new identity!)
Language 4/5
Organisation 4/5
Content 5/5

17/20!!! Well done, Jim! Keep up the effort! Christina 💪😏👍

Monday, March 23, 2020

TED Videos and material

From TED's newsletter:

As the world faces the coronavirus crisis, TED is committed to being a resource for information, inspiration and hope. We’ve curated talks and interviews to help provide some perspective. Here’s where to start:

TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh shares why COVID-19 is hitting us now — and what we’ll learn from it.
Infectious disease expert Adam Kucharski discusses what the future may hold. (Listen to his full episode on The TED Interview.)
Public health expert David Heymann answers 11 questions about the novel coronavirus.
This playlist draws from our archive of talks on infectious diseases, vaccines and pandemics.
Kids at home? Keep busy with hundreds of free animated lessons from TED-Ed. If you're an educator, learn more about how to create your own TED-Ed lessons. And check out this helpful round-up of TED-Ed lessons about understanding the outbreak of a virus.
Finally, these talks offer simple ways to stay healthy — both physically and emotionally.