Summer break

Due to the huge amount of paperwork I still have ahead, before I have the opportunity to enjoy some holiday refreshment, T@PT and I will have a break during the summer. Nonetheless, you are invited to continue visiting us, as I will keep on tweeting and scooping. Thank you for being there! I promise to return in September! In the meantime, enjoy your summer vacations and grant me the pleasure of keeping on follow(ing) me, if you please!

Found picture @Pinterest

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Time to say good-bye...

Let's go to the cinema!

Taking a break...

Follow me

Muse, the English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, was formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy (lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, keyboards, keytar), Christopher Wolstenholme (bass, vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, harmonica) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion, synthesisers, sampling).

Picture via Google Images search

Since the release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations, keyboardist and percussionist Morgan Nicholls has performed live with the band. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances and their fusion of many music genres, including space rock, progressive rock, alternative rock, heavy metal, classical music and electronica.

Muse have released six studio albums so far: Showbiz (1999), Origin of Symmetry (2001), Absolution (2003), Black Holes and Revelations (2006), The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012). They have also issued three live albums, Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), which is also a compilation of B-sides, Absolution Tour (2005), and HAARP (2008), which documents the band's performances at Wembley Stadium in 2007.

Source: Wikipedia 

(abridged and adapted)

Muse have also integrated the Twilight saga soundtrack with hits such as Supermassive Black Hole for the film Twilight and the fantastic Neutron Star Collision (Love is forever) for Eclipse. World War Z has been Muse's latest film soundtrack! Back to London 2012 Olympic Games, Muse have not only carried the  Olympic torch through their hometown Teignmouth, Devon, but have also created the mighty Survival, the Olympics official song.

Image credits: PA

Muse were in Portugal last June 10th, at Dragon Stadium, O'Porto, to play an unforgetable show in the band's current world tour: The Second Law Tour. I was one of the mesmerised Portuguese fans to attend the concert! Since then, their music has been spinning around my mind: Dominic's powerful drums in Survival; Christopher's hypnotic harmonica in Knights of Cydonia; Matt's unbelievable voice in Supremacy and Madness, among all the other exquisite moments! Below follows one of the  photos I took during the concert. Even though singing Uprising altogether with a surrendered stadium has become an indelible memory, FOLLOW ME was the moment I expected the most, and the song I dedicate to you all!

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London 2012 Olympic Games

Brit Awards 2013

World War Z

Let's go to the cinema!

Monsters University and The Internship are expected to be two of this summer's blockbusters! So enjoy this exams season break and find some time to go to the cinema! Then, tell me all about it, will you? 

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One Giant Fun House

Behind Google, Inc.

World War Z

About bullying

I found this poem on the Facebook wall of a friend. I couldn't help sharing it, as bullying is one of the hardest fights we have at school. The victims are often silent, not to mention silenced. And when they finally gather the strength to raise their voices, they've already suffered beyond what is bearable!

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The power of words

Lady Gaga dislikes bullying

Summer Solstice & The Super Moon

Summer Solstice, June 21st - Stonehenge, England

Photo credits: SWNS.com

'Police say more than 20,000 celebrants have gathered at the famed Stonehenge monument to mark the summer solstice. The cloud cover Friday morning prevented bright sunshine at dawn of the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere but a joyous spirit prevailed. Police say there were fewer arrests than usual with 22 people taken into custody, most for drug-related offenses. The solstice has typically drawn a wide and varied crowd to the mysterious set of standing stones whose purpose remains unclear. The ancient stone circle on the Salisbury Plain about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, was built in three phases between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C.' - HuffPost (abridged) Follow THIS link to watch a photo gallery of this venue.

The Supermoon, June 23rd

What is a supermoon, exactly? It's the name used to describe a full or new moon that occurs when the moon is nearest the earth in its elliptical orbit around our planet. Astronomers call it the perigee full moon (perigee being the term for the moon’s closest point to earth in any given month). The moon may have turned full this morning (June 23) at 7:32 a.m. EDT, but astronomers say last night's moon counts as part of the supermoon skywatching window. Seeing pictures from all over the world reminds us that no matter where we are, we all look up and see the same moon. As one of our friends from NASA told The Huffington Post in an email, "If nothing else the super moon rewards those of us to look at the Moon often. If you never look at the Moon you wouldn't notice that anything is different. The super moon might be a good opportunity to start looking at the Moon, and seeing how it changes each night in the sky." - HuffPost (abridged) Follow THIS link to see how the Supermoon circled the Globe.

Photo credits: AP Photo/Julio Cortez

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Summer solstice @Stonehenge

Summer Solstice & Royal Ascot in news

Neil Armstrong and the Blue Moon

A quote by Edmund Lee

Found picture at Tumnlr

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Impossible is nothing

Amazing athletes

World War Z

Allow me to suggest you, my dear lucky students that are already on holiday, to watch World War Z. According to TIME's Richard Corliss reviews, World War Z is 'this summer’s most urgent, highest-I.Q. action picture.' In addition to this, the fabulous Brad Pitt and a fantastic soundtrack by MUSE!!! In case you're interested, watch the trailer, go to the nearest theatre, and then, tell me all about it! 

Source: Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images Europe

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Facebook your students!

The iPhone experience

To all my students...

Silence is golden

'A wise man speaks because he has something to say. 

A fool speaks because he has to say something.'

Unlike yesterday's post, today the message is 'Silence is golden'. There are situations in life in which choosing not to reply is definitely the brightest answer you can give and the most courageous choice you can make! 

A sassy quote by Mandy Hale

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When the going gets tough

Protest songs

My choice

Protest songs

'The world is more malleable than you think 

and it's waiting for you to hammer it into shape.' - Bono

'Protest songs have helped shape History proving that when people come together and raise their voices extraordinary things can happen.' This is ONE's latest campaign against extreme poverty - Agit8.

Image credits: ONE.org

The ONE Campaign has joined forces with dozens of musicians from across the globe to launch agit8, an urgent call for action against extreme poverty in the crucial week leading up to the G8 summit in Northern Ireland. An extraordinary line up of artists have added their voices to the campaign by recording brand new versions of great protest songs, because protest leads to progress and bold commitments from world leaders could be life changing. Grammy Award-winning Angelique Kidjo, special adviser to agit8 said: 'The scandal of extreme poverty and the disgrace of needless child deaths really can be ended, but it won't happen without action now. Throughout history, we have seen great progress when people join forces to demand change. If enough people add their voices to the chorus of protest, world leaders will be forced to hear us and act.'

As the co-founder of ONE, Bono added: 'This week we are reminded of the words of the great agitator Nelson Mandela - 'Like slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome. Millions of people are trapped in the prison of poverty. It is time to set them free. Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.'

Follow this LINK and discover what are the songs that changed the world. In addition to that check out this beautiful performance of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' by U2, just for the #agit8 protest music project.

Sources: ONE, one agit8, BWW (abridged and adapted)

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Your voice is amazing

We are Silent

The F-word

My choice

Found picture @Fuelisms

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Your time is limited...

Tanzanian Proverb

Intelligence...

You can be the greatest

To all my students I've said 'good-bye' or 'see you, next year', I dedicate the lyrics of this song by The Script. I truly believe 'you can be the greatest', as long as you 'don't wait for luck' and 'dedicate yourself (...)'. Having said this, enjoy your summer holidays! For those that are about to have the national exams, I hope your effort and commitment throughout the past eleven years turn out into results that allow you to accomplish your dreams!

Yeah, you can be the greatest, You can be the best

You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

You could beat the world, You could beat the war

You could talk to God, go banging on his door

You can throw your hands up

You can beat the clock (yeah)

You can move a mountain

You can break rocks

You can be a master

Don't wait for luck

Dedicate yourself and you gon' find yourself

(...)

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The exams season is about to begin

Time to say good-bye

Last day of school

iPad vs Paper

A very funny commercial which could be used to talk about the presence of technology in our everyday lives.

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Funny videos

We must learn to read

A magnificent monologue delivered by Adrien Brody:

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The fantastic flying books

Become Someone Else

The joy of books

Stupid lasts forever

To make us think...

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Rainbows in the clouds

What Teachers make

Learning is for life

When the going gets tough...

... the tough get going!

Image credits: Positive Inspirational Quotes Facebook Page

Portugal is living a severe economic crisis. Every sector in society is suffering with it! This week teachers are striking against what they believe is causing utter damages in Education. I'm not going to discuss political ideologies in this post, nor expressing my views on the teachers' strike. I just hope that the aftermath of these demonstrations doesn't bring with it bigger damages than the ones already caused by the ones that 'rule' us!

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I teach! What's your super power?

E.T. phone home

How many of (y)our students are familiar with E.T.? Will they figure out why E.T.'s phone bill would be that terrifying? Films are interesting resources to use in class. As an 'extensive viewing' activity you can enhance your students's four macro skills: listening (watching the film with no subtitles), speaking (commenting on the plot), reading (in case you use subtiles, I'd suggest you to do so in English) and writing (why not writing a review on the film?) 

Image credits: wirdou.com

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Using films in class

Using short films to produce writing

Oscars 2013 - newstories and teaching resources

Rainy days are back

When will these autum like days be gone? Aren't we supposed to have sunshiny days by June? Enough with this endless rain! Enough with this 'lovely weather for ducks'!... Come on, summer 2013! What are you waiting for to start sprinkling our lives with enjoyable weather?

Thank you, Ana Figueiredo, for this lovely shot! 

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The British weather and St. Swithin's Day

Freezing cold at Pine Tree

Cold weather idioms

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60 years of Queen Elizabeth II Coronation

Today the UK celebrates 60 years of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. Let's take a look at how some media reported the venue:

The Guardian:

'Sixty years ago last Sunday (June 2nd), Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and head of the Commonwealth. Today (June 4th) the Queen and other royals such as the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, will attend a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey. The Duke of Edinburgh is also expected to attend, despite his being too ill to fulfil an official engagement last night. The event is likely to attract thousands to the streets of London and will begin at 11am BST. The Queen succeeded her father, George VI, when he died on 6 February 1952 but was not crowned until 16 months later to allow a suitable period of mourning to elapse before such a festive occasion.' (abridged)

The HuffPost World:

'Britain's royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey Tuesday for a ceremony of pomp and prayer to mark the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth, now 87, was crowned in the abbey on June 2, 1953, in a ceremony laden with 1,000 years of tradition. British monarchs have been crowned in the ancient London church since William the Conqueror in 1066. The queen's children and grandchildren were among 2,000 people attending Tuesday's anniversary service, which featured hymns, prayers, a reading from Prime Minister David Cameron and a poem written for the occasion by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual head of the Anglican church, told the congregation that the service celebrated the queen's "path of demanding devotion and utter self-sacrifice, a path she did not choose, yet to which she was called by God."(abridged)

Photo via Westminster Abbey on Facebook

Photo credits: Getty Images

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The Queen's Coronation

60 years of the Queen's reign

The life of Queen Elizabeth II in photos

Look forward, not backwards

How about this poster to explain some of the phrasal verbs you can form with 'look'?

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Most common phrasal verbs