Our Xmas Wish List

- Be happy;

- Smile on rainy days;

- Have fun;

- Say at least three nice things per day;

- Be kind;

- Be helpful;

- Enjoy every little thing you've got;

- Sing and dance;

- Be thankful;

- Eat well;

- Read and learn a lot;

- Love and cherish your family and friends;

- B U!

Isabel C.; Fátima C.;Paula L.

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."
Calvin Coolidge

Her name is Tica

I have a cat. Her name is Tica.
She's black and she has got green eyes, she's very beautiful.
I like to play with her with a ball. Tica is very funny.
Tica loves to be in my lap, she's so smooth and she’s intelligent too!
We are good friends.
She likes to drink milk, eat fish and cat food.
She lives with my grandparents because I'm allergic to cats.
I love her.

Liliana Carvalho, 702

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression" - article 19 of UDHR

This right is the foundation of everything. How can people live without having the right to express themselves and without freedom of opinion? Is there liberty?

This rule works with freedom of thought and conscience. It’s important to express what you are thinking about and share with the others those ideas, called opinions. It’s important to make decisions too, and it takes part of a proposal, discuss about a variety of themes like death penalty or how to prevent the global warming.

Some opinions can complete, provide with a better judgment or something relevant. The cars, the building and even the design of the objects are a result of a mix of opinions and aren’t they useful and helpful? If people give ideas and share opinions, everything will develop more and be better attached and therefore creating new ideas.

If you don’t like a rule, a statement, an action or a trivial phrase may you not reply? You should tell your opinion; tell what you think it’s wrong and the consequences of the action. That’s how we must have the freedom of opinion and expression. It’s important to express yourself! Ourselves!

Pedro Oliveira 901 nº22

Prepositions of Place - Part 2

Prepositions Of Place

Beware of the...CAT

sent by 11.17

Luv Cats!

sent by 11.14

Improving Xmas Vocabulary

Kids Domain

:)

December 10

Definite & Indefinite Articles

Definite & Indefinite Articles (cont.)

Our World / Environmental awareness

“A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.”

“Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species – man – acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.”

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”

Rachel Carson
Biologist, Writer, Ecologist, 1907-1964

When we fight against a country, we fight together, when we win a prize, we celebrate it together, so the whole humanity has to work together if we want to defeat global warming.
No man is an island, no man can reach his aims alone, he always needs somebody else to help him. We can’t be selfish or egocentric when it comes to climate change or there will be calamitous disasters that will affect all of us.
We have to work out solutions for global warming, but we have to act together or we will reach a standstill which will take us to an abyss.

Catarina Lemos, 1105

What is an island? Geographically speaking, an island is a piece of land surrounded by water. But to me, it is more like a safe place. It is a place where you can hide and be sure that your problems will not bother you. It is a refuge!
The climatic changes that are invading our world are like a tsunami. They come without warning, they damage us and our things, and when they disappear our world is plunged into a catastrophe.
That’s why these catastrophic events are so bad and no man is that safe place, that island. No man is safe!

João Pedro Silva, 1104

Nowadays we see that because of human actions climate is changing and the seasons are not the same anymore. One day we see strong storms and lots of rain and the next day we see droughts. Man has been poisoning the air, water and soil. We think that there are natural resources which will never end, but that thought is wrong. We should promote a sustainable development in order not to compromise the environment.
The future of our planet is in our hands. We should do everything that we can to save our home. There are lots of things that we can do – we should avoid the use of aerosols, buy organic food, buy hybrid cars, plant trees, recycle materials and the most important thing: we should use renewable resources (“clean” sources of energy). If we follow these steps, our environment will be preserved and we will have a better place to live in.

Paula Martins, 1105

We should do everything we can to fight for the protection of the environment. If temperatures rise even more, we will all be affected, it will not be just one or few individuals that will be guilty… we will all be!
Humans should stop working alone and only for themselves. People say that we live in society but we do not… Humans still think that throwing a paper to the floor will not cause an effect, but it will, because we are not alone on planet Earth. So we need to start taking care of OUR HOME because it is OURS and not mine.

José Miguel Silva, 1105

We have reached a crucial point and if we do not do anything now, we will suffer the consequences of our acts… much worse, the next generations will “inherit” all the problems that we have caused.
Simple things like saving water, recycling waste, saving energy, reducing the emission of CFCs and the use of cars can be done by everyone. The problem is that people are so busy with their own lives that they do not think deeply about the biggest problem, “the future of our planet”, and our future because we cannot forget that our life is also at stake. So let’s start doing something now, let’s teach children, act as role models by doing the right things and let’s call the attention of the government to make them reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and to decrease pollution and to support renewable sources of energy.
We cannot forget that our life depends on Mother Nature

Débora Nogueira, 1105

Talking about climate change, I think we should have in mind, that we are responsible for it! Our actions have an impact on the Earth …with all industries, the revolution of development, wars… we are creating the scenario for our own destruction. We are responsible for our own destruction; it’s like killing ourselves, or even worse, killing our children, our future! No man is an island, no man is alone in the world… We have to take care of our brothers and sisters and save the planet. That’s not about religion, that’s not about weird people, it’s about us! Everyone has to promote the best for everyone. We have to stop being selfish. Together we can make a better world, with civilised people. The environment depends on us and we depend on everyone.

José Diogo Silva, 1105

We have to change; we can’t say we don’t care about the weather in 2050 just because maybe we won’t be alive. What about our sons and grandsons? We can’t be so selfish. Every action we take will affect the future and if we keep on wasting natural resources, the Earth will become uninhabitable in less than half a century!
Reading texts about environmental issues in my English classes made me think: “I have no time to waste, I’ll change the world and I’ll begin now, because tomorrow it may be too late!”
So I leave a request to anyone who will read this: “Please, help me change the world!”

Filipe Fernandes, 1105

LOL

We are thankful for

I especially thank my brother because he teaches me a lot of things. I thank my parents for helping me when I need and of course I thank my friends.
Thank you for all Aryan
I thank the friends and family I have
Thanks for my family, friends and best friends. I’m so proud because I can trust them and when I need, they help me. Thanks for everything, and the most important thing is that I’m HAPPY.
Thanks for the support they always give me, because when I need they are always by my side
I'm thankful for the friends I have
Thanks for helping me when I need
I'm thankful for being who I am and for my family and my friends
Thanks for the friends and family I have
I thank for the friends I have
I thank for all my friends and for my family
I thank all my friends
Thanks for the friends and family
I thank my friends forever
I thank my best friends. I also thank my sweet family
I would like to thank my family and friends for the support
I thank the friends and the family
Thanks Lord for all that you have given me in my life: my family, my friends and my conscience to make good decisions
Thanks for helping me and my parents
Thanks for the best friends I have
Thanks for everything
Thanks for everything
Thanks for the friends I have
I'm thankful for who I am and for my family and my friends
I thank the friends and family I have
I thank my friends forever
I thank the friends and family I have

902

Thanksgiving - a short history

In the United States, Thanksgiving began with the Pilgrims who settled around Plymouth in December of 1620. During the winter of 1620-21 they suffered many privations. Food and supplies were scarce and disease ran rampant in the region. Nearly half the population died.

At the harvest of 1621 there was a feast. However, 1622 the results were fairly poor. The settlers were beginning to starve again. The Governor at the time, William Bradford, was quick to recognize the problem. So every family was assigned a parcel of land according to the proportion of their number...It made all hands very industrious, so that much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been...and gave far better satisfaction.

Thankful for the re-institution of private property and the plenty which it provided, the Pilgrims invited their Indian benefactors in 1623 to a three-day celebration. More than 80 "Indians" came to enjoy the festivities. They brought venison, wild turkey and other victuals. There was much singing, rejoicing and even sermons.

The first Thanksgiving in Plymouth was not meant to be an annual event. Even so, it became a custom in many New England Colonies. During the Revolutionary war Thanksgiving Days were proclaimed to celebrate victory in battle or survival in the face of adversity. After the war and the founding of the government under the U.S. Constitution, George Washington, as President, proclaimed a day of thanks.

Proclaiming a day of thanks became popular. There was no official national day, but individual states, cities and towns began to pick out a particular day every year, usually in the autumn. The state of New York was the first to do this in 1830. By the time of the Civil War thanksgiving had become a popular public event. In 1863 and 1864 President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a "day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father."

It was at this point that the last Thursday in November became fixed in the minds of Americans as a day for giving thanks, at least until 1939 when President Roosevelt moved it up a week to make a longer Christmas season for the retail industry. Some people did not like the break with tradition and various localities refused to comply. Finally, Congress intervened and changed the holiday permanently to the "4th Thursday in November". It has been celebrated on this day ever since.

http://www.holidaycook.com/thanksgiving-history.shtml

NO!

We think that the technology doesn't hamper communication, it helps communication. For example, when we need to talk and we can't meet with each other we talk through the computer or on the phone.
When we have an emergency we have to call to another person.
Today we usually use the phone, IM and MSN to talk.
Thanks to social networks, we can know the customs, cultures and everything related to a person who lives across the world, and better, we are able to talk directly with her! Knowing the culture of other countries only makes us a more cultivated and refined person in relation to various subjects, and also to be able to speak plenty of foreign languages.

Andreia Correia nº 3
Beatriz Oliveira nº 5
Joana Gomes nº 11
Magda Rodrigues nº 17
Sara Araújo nº 25

Daniela's Favourite Actor!

My favourite actor is Zac Efron.
He’s twenty-two years old.
He was born on October 18th, 1987 in California, U.S.A.
He enjoys playing basketball, skating, surfing…

He also likes to be with his friends and his girlfriend, Vanessa.
I like him because he’s such a good actor and…he’s so cute!

He has got brown, wavy short hair and blue eyes. He’s tall and slim because he goes to the gym everyday!
I think he’s a great actor and a good friend.
I love him!


Daniela Nogueira, 702

About technology

We think that technology is great because we can do lots of things at the same time, for example, talk with a virtual friend while listening to music. These little things happen because we have technology. With technology ours lives’ are easier but sometimes they aren’t more interesting.
Before, when people received a postcard, it was a something cool but now receiving an email is very trivial. It does mean that technology takes out some magic of our lives.
Besides, we learn a lot with technology, for example we know much about science or cells because of the new technologies.
Technology, as all things, has a positive and a negative side. However the most important, in our opinion, is that the technology improves our life quality.

Juliana, Francisca, Beatriz Bacelar, Raquel and Ana Paula; class 902.

Ana Margarida from class 902 sent

Are we disconnected?

Nowadays young people use the new technologies a lot. But does this deprive us to be face to face with our real friends and other people?
We think that all the new technologies are very helpful. They are useful in doing school work, research, talking with our friends when we are away from them, creating new ways to enjoy being with our friends, etc.
Some people think that we, teenagers, are addicted to computers and all that technological stuff, but we disagree with them. We think that we won’t use technologies instead of being with our real friends, if we can. We will only use them if we need because they can provide us many things, but it is not our priority.
As you can see, new technologies are becoming very popular thanks to their utility and that can be good for us, if we don’t use them too much.

Diogo, nº10; Fábio, nº11; Miguel, nº21; Ruben, nº24 - 901

André wrote...

July 2009

Hi Bárbara!
In the last letter I forgot to tell you something.
The great news is that last summer I went into Paredes de Coura Festival with Margarida. It was difficult to convince her but when I told her that Franz Ferdinand were going to act, she immediately changed her mind.
We stayed there for four days, and during that time we only thought in one thing: music!
The best moment, was when Franz Ferdinand played “Ulysses” and “This Fire”, our favorite songs. It was something out of the world!
Other bands like Oasis, The Gift, and so many more also played at the festival, but the audience’s behavior wasn’t as bad as we were expecting.
There were no strange events, thank god! The only strange moment was seeing Margarida sleeping! Oh my god! How loud she snored!
I loved it; I really hope you’ve also enjoyed seeing Alice Cooper at Switzerland!
Music rules!

I hope to hear from you soon,
All the best,
André


André Pedrosa, nº5, 901

Project - Protest Songs

Extra Credit 701/702 - Present Continuous

What are they doing?

Grammar Log - Present Continuous 701/702

www.welcometoenglishhandfun.com

International Day of Tolerance - 16 November

16 November - At the initiative of UNESCO, 1995 was declared the United Nations Year for Tolerance, and it saw the launching of a worldwide campaign for tolerance and non-violence. The International Day for Tolerance grew out of the momentum of that Year. Building tolerance and trust in diverse communities is not done overnight, but takes time and commitment. Building tolerance requires access to education. Intolerance is often rooted in ignorance and fear: of the unknown, and of the "other", such as other cultures, religions and nations. Intolerance is also closely linked to an exaggerated sense of self-worth and pride: notions taught and learned at an early age. Therefore in coming years, we need to place greater emphasis on educating children about tolerance, human rights and fundamental freedoms. But we should not forget that education does not end in school, that adults - firstly as individuals capable of committing acts of intolerance, but more importantly in their capacity as parents, law-makers and law-enforcement officials - also need to be considered a priority target of our educational efforts.
An International Day for Tolerance can serve as an annual occasion for tolerance education as well as for wider social and political reflection and debate on local and global problems of intolerance. It is a moment to take stock of the progress made during the year and to propose fresh policies to close remaining gaps.

World Diabetes Day - 14 November

World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes - its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness in most cases. Started by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and WHO (World Health Organization), the Day is celebrated on 14 November to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.WHO estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, according to 2005 figures. This number is likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.

WHAT IS DIABETES?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or alternatively, when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset) is characterized by a lack of insulin production. Without daily administration of insulin, Type 1 diabetes is rapidly fatal.
Symptoms include excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. These symptoms may occur suddenly.
Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Type 2 diabetes comprises 90% of people with diabetes around the world, and is largely the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.
Symptoms may be similar to those of Type 1 diabetes, but are often less marked. As a result, the disease may be diagnosed several years after onset, once complications have already arisen.
Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring in obese children.
Gestational diabetes is hyperglycaemia which is first recognized during pregnancy.
Symptoms of gestational diabetes are similar to Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is most often diagnosed through prenatal screening, rather than reported symptoms.
Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and Impaired Fasting Glycaemia (IFG) are intermediate conditions in the transition between normality and diabetes. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, although this is not inevitable.

WHO ACTIVITIES TO PREVENT AND CONTROL DIABETES
WHO aims to stimulate and support the adoption of effective measures for the surveillance, prevention and control of diabetes and its complications, particularly in low and middle-income countries. To this end, WHO:
- Provides scientific guidelines for diabetes prevention;
- Develops norms and standards for diabetes care;
- Builds awareness on the global epidemic of diabetes; including partnership with the International Diabetes Federation in the celebration of World Diabetes Day (14 November);
- Conducts surveillance of diabetes and its risk factors.

The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health complements WHO's diabetes work by focusing on population-wide approaches to promote healthy diet and regular physical activity, thereby reducing the growing global problem of overweight and obesity. The Strategy calls upon all stakeholders to take action at the global, regional and local levels and aims to lead to a significant reduction in the prevalence of diabetes and other chronic diseases.
WHO's work on diabetes is integrated into the overall WHO chronic disease prevention and control framework of the Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion. The strategic objectives of the Department are to raise awareness about the global epidemic of chronic diseases; create healthy environments, especially for poor and disadvantaged populations; slow and reverse trends in common chronic disease risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity; and prevent premature deaths and avoidable disability due to major chronic diseases.

Source: World Health Organization

LOL

Extra Credit 701/702 - Daily Routine

Extra Credit 701/702 - Family Tree

Conditional Clauses - Type 0

Conditional Clauses - Type 1

Conditional Clauses - Type 2