agr8tourblog4u: 2011

Sunday, 18 December 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hi, my dear students and friends, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! Please click on here.

Thursday, 15 December 2011

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Here you have some Christmas Carols. I hope you like them. I wish you all a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

And can you remember this one you listened to with Sarah?

John Lennon

Mariah Carey

Wham

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Before watching the film Jane Eyre, based on a book by Charlotte Brontë, one of the British Brontë sisters, I recommend you to read the sypsosis and learn a bit more about the film itself on this website.
If you prefer the film Carnage, have a look at this one.

Monday, 12 December 2011

LAUNDRY SERVICE

Have a look at the following laundry list from the Hotel Astor and the laundry service request form from Luxury Maids and look up all those words you don't know.

Monday, 28 November 2011

1st DECEMBER - WORLD AIDS DAY

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.
Enjoy the following videos by Queen and remember Freddie Mercury.

I Was Born to Love You

Bohemian Rhapsody

Sunday, 27 November 2011

RELATIVE CLAUSES

If you want to practise relative clauses, why don't you do the following exercises?
1st exercise
2nd exercise (where, when why)
3rd exercise (defining and non defining)
4th exercise (also with omission)

MODAL VERBS

In order to practise the use of modal verbs, how about doing the following exercises?
1st exercise
2nd exercise
3rd exercise (this is about suggestions)
4th exercise
5th exercise (final modal test)

Sunday, 13 November 2011

SPELLING NAMES AND WRITING NUMBERS

As you asked me, here you have some links for you to listen and understand names and phone numbers.

To practise spelling:
http://esl.about.com/library/listening/bllis_beg_spelling.htm
You can also watch the following video:

To practise phone numbers:

http://www.esl-lab.com/phone.htm
http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/activity/listening/ex1phoneex.html

JOB ADS FOR TRAVEL AGENCIES AND EVENTS MANAGEMENT

Have a look at the following ad and answer the questions below.

What are they looking for?
Is it a part-time job? Why?
Which duties would you have to carry out?
What qualities should you have?
Can anybody from any country apply for the job?
How much would you earn? How much is it in euros?

Now read this one. Answer the following questions:

What are they looking for?
What responsibilities would you have?
What personal qualities should you have?
What skills should you have for this position?
Are there any courses for those applicants who are chosen?
Which one of the two ads is more interesting for you? Why?

Thursday, 10 November 2011

APPLYING FOR A JOB 2011. CURRICULUM VITAE EUROPASS

Have you ever heard of the Europass Curriculum Vitae?

It is an EU initiative to increase transparency of qualification and mobility of citizens in Europe. It aims to be a Life Long Learning Portfolio of documents containing the descriptions of all learning achievements, official qualifications, work results, skills and competencies, acquired over time, along with the related documentation. The aim is to make a person's skills and qualifications clearly understood throughout Europe.

I would like you to have a look at the following example. http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/img/dynamic/c1349/type.FileContent.file/ELPExamples_en_GB.pdf.

Here you can see the instructions for using the Europass Curriculum Vitae.
Once you know how it works you can either download the Europass CV documents or create your Europass CV online now.

These documents can also be very useful:

For students of 'Tourist Accommodation Management':
EDS in Tourist Accommodation Management

For students of 'Travel Agencies and Events Management':
EDS in Travel Agencies & Events Management

When it is ready, send me your CV by email. The name of the file should be:

For Tourist Accommodation Management students: cv_tam_2011_yoursurnameinitialofyourname

For Travel Agencies and Events Management students: cv_ttaaem_2011_yoursurnameinitialofyourname

Deadline: By Wednesday 23rd November 2011

Thursday, 3 November 2011

RISE AGAINST - PRAYER OF THE REFUGEE & HELP IS ON THE WAY

Warm-up:

Do you agree with the statement 'we live in a consumer society'? Why?
Do you spend a lot of money on clothes? What is your favourite brand?
What do you usually spend your money on? Mobiles? Videogames? Clothes?

Watch the video below and answer the following questions:

Where does it take place?
What kind of peple can you see?
Are they young?
Where are they from?
What products can you see?
Do you buy them?
Do you usually have a look at the label of the products you buy?
Have you ever bought any fair trade products?

Listen and put the song in the right order.

Here you have another videoclip by Rise Against titled 'Help Is On the Way'. Watch it and answer the questions.

What natural disasters does it show? Do you know any others?
What do you do when something like this happens?
Do you belong to any non-governmental organizations (NGO)? What is the name? What do you do?
Write a brief summary of the story.

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

The Beatles - Yesterday (1966)

As we were talking about Liverpool I thought it was a must listen to this song by The Beatles. I hope you also like it.

WEB QUEST - A BIT ABOUT TOURISM

This activity will allow you to get to know a bit more the people who work in the field of tourism, transport, hotels and some destinations such as London. Enjoy while reading, I'm sure you will learn a lot by doing it. =)
Webquest Tourism

Thursday, 13 October 2011

TRAVEL AGENT JOB PROFILE

Have a look at this webpage. You will be able to know the profile of a travel agent.

If you want to know a bit more about his or her duties and responsibilities, click here.

RECEPTIONIST JOB PROFILE - DUTIES

Here you have another page in which you can learn about the duties a hotel receptionist may have, skills and knowledge required.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

PRESENT SIMPLE VS PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Here you have an exercise we've done in class. Test yourself =) and if you need some more practice =(, you can go to 'agendaweb' and keep on trying.

Monday, 3 October 2011

INTERVIEW AT BARAJAS AIRPORT 2011

Here you have the document with the guidelines you need to do the project.

Good luck!

PROJECT

A PASSENGER SURVEY AT BARAJAS AIRPORT

Assignment: This project should be carried out at Barajas airport. You must interview two people and ask for permission to video-record the interview. If not, at least ask permission to record the sound. Do it in pairs. Some interviews will be published on the blog http://www.agr8tourblog4u.blogspot.com/ for educational purposes.

Aim: To use English as a tool for communication and to get to know the people who visit our country (nationalities, reasons for travelling, accommodation expectations…)

Assessment criteria: It will be graded from 1 to 10 and will be part of the mark of the oral skills.

Deadline: By Monday 7^th November. You will have to send me or hand in the files (with an extension I can see and listen to) and the transcription of the dialogues.

You can begin like this:

Good morning/afternoon/evening. I’m a student of Tourist Accommodation Management / Hotel Management / Travel Agencies and Events Management / Tourism at Hotel Escuela High School, Madrid. We are doing a project about why people travel. Would you mind answering a few questions? If you don’t mind, we would like to record the interview as a class practice. Thanks a lot.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS: CHECK-IN/DEPARTURE AREA

Where are you from?
Where are you travelling to? What’s the name of the airport?
How long have you been here?
Have you been in Spain before?
Where did you stay? (Accommodation)
What’s a hotel for you? Tick the right option.

a) A bed for the night	¨	c) A bit of luxury once in a while	¨
b) The office when away from the office	¨	d) Home far from home	¨

What is/was the purpose of your visit?
How often do you travel abroad?
Which countries have you visited?
What did you like most about Spain?

Thanks for your help. Have a nice trip.

Friday, 30 September 2011

CAR HIRE

Have a look at this website and complete the form to find out the cheapest car hire.

Here you have another webpage to read a bit more about car insurance.

Thursday, 15 September 2011

PLACES TO STAY ON HOLIDAY

If you want to practise vocabulary about places to stay on holiday click on this page.

BLANK MAPS

Do you need some practice in order to know where some countries and capital cities are located? Try this website. You will have fun at the same time you learn.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

LISTENING. EXPERIENCES IN TOURISM

Listen to four people -Juan, Ulla, Anita and Paola- talking about themselves and their experiences of travel and tourism. Write down as much information as you can about each of them.

(From HARDING, K. (1998). Going International. English for Tourism. OUP, p. 6, list. 1.)

What about your experiences? Why are you studying this formative cycle related to Tourism? Where would you like to work in the future? Which are your expectations? Write a short paragraph about it.

Friday, 2 September 2011

MAKE AND DO

Do you have some difficulties with the verbs 'make' and 'do'? The best way to learn them is to learn them by heart and to practise them, the more you practise the easier it will be for you to remember them!
Here you will find some expressions with 'do' and with 'make'. Then have a look at the webpages below if you need some more practice.

To Do

to do a favour
to do a project
to do a test
to do an assignment
to do an exam
to do badly
to do business
to do damage
to do exercise
to do good
to do harm
to do homework
to do housework
to do nothing
to do research
to do something
to do some letter-writing
to do some reading
to do some studying
to do some writing
to do the accounts
to do the cleaning
to do the dishes
to do the ironing
to do the laundry
to do the math
to do the maximum
to do the minimum
to do the paperwork
to do the shopping
to do the vacuuming
to do time
to do work
to do your best
to do your duty
to do your hair
to do your nails
to do your job
to do your makeup
to do 50 miles per hour

To Make

to make a booking
to make a bundle
to make a call
to make a cake
to make a choice
to make a comment
to make a complaint
to make a compromise
to make a deal
to make a decision
to make a difference
to make a fire
to make a fool of yourself
to make a fortune
to make a fuss
to make a habit
to make a move
to make a phone call
to make a point
to make a presentation
to make a profit
to make a promise
to make a remark
to make a reservation
to make a sales call
to make a sound
to make a speech
to make a suggestion
to make a threat
to make a visit
to make amends
to make an appearance
to make an appointment
to make an attempt
to make an enquiry
to make an exception
to make an excuse
to make an offer
to make arrangements
to make believe
to make friends
to make fun
to make changes
to make corrections
to make do
to make love
to make money
to make noise
to make peace
to make plans
to make a profit
to make progress
to make sense
to make someone angry
to make someone happy
to make (someone) mad
To make someone sad
to make someone’s day
to make sure
to make time
to make trouble
to make dinner
to make lunch
to make breakfast
to make a snack
to make tea / coffee
to make a mess
to make a mistake
to make the bed
to make time
to make war

(From: http://www.engvid.com/english-resource/do-make-expressions/)
Now, try this page.
And also this exercise.
This exercise if by the BBC

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

INTERVIEW. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. MADRID

Would you like to see another of your classmates carrying out an interview about tourist attractions in Madrid? Then watch this video.

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

LISTENINGS. TAKING BOOKINGS.

You’ll hear a phone call in which a client is booking a conference room at a hotel. Listen and write down as many details as you can in order to fill in a registration form correctly.

From Jones, L. (1998) Welcome! CUP. Unit 22, B, Track 27)

Now listen to another person booking a room. Write down all the information you need in order to fill in the registration form.

From STRUTT, P. (2003) English for International Tourism Intermediate, Longman Unit 7, list 2, Track 18)

Saturday, 28 May 2011

QR CODE

Mary Sea

Mary Sea's Web

Thursday, 26 May 2011

INTERVIEW. BARAJAS AIRPORT

Here you can see one of the surveys carried out by a student of Hotel Management at Barajas Airport.

Thursday, 19 May 2011

VIDEO: CHECKING INTO A HOTEL (BY LINGUA TV)

Have a look at the following video. It takes place at the reception of a hotel. A guest is checking in. Listen to it carefully. Pay attention to the dialogue and try to reproduce it with your partner. (Video taken by Lingua TV. English for Hotel and Tourism: 'Checking into a hotel')

Monday, 16 May 2011

POEMS ABOUT PRONUNCIATION

Let's see if you can read the followig. It isn't that easy, is it?

I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead -
For goodness sake don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose -
Just look them up - and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart -
Come, come, I've hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I'd mastered it when I was five!

Sounds and Letters

A poem for English Students

When in English class we speak,
Why is break nor rhymed with freak?
Will you tell me why it's true
That we say sew, but also few?

When a poet writes a verse
Why is horse not rhymed with worse?
Beard sounds not the same as heard
Lord sounds not the same as word

Cow is cow, but low is low
Shoe is never rhymed with toe.
Think of nose and dose and lose
Think of goose, but then of choose.

Confuse not comb with tomb or bomb,
Doll with roll, or home with some.
We have blood and food and good.
Mould is not pronounced like could.

There's pay and say, but paid and said.
"I will read", but "I have read".
Why say done, but gone and lone -
Is there any reason known?

To summarise, it seems to me
Sounds and letters disagree.

(From http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Ideas/Fun/Wordplay.htm)

THE RIVER, BY THE BOSS & STING

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (1949), nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band. He has sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and 120 million worldwide and he has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award.

Hope you enjoy this video by Bruce Springsteen -The Boss- & Sting. They played it in 1988.

Pay attention to the lyrics.

Monday, 11 April 2011

DESIGN YOUR OWN BROCHURE

Created by Crazyprofile.com

If you want, you can do it with "Glogster". It allows you to include pictures, sound and video. Here you can see some information about it or have a look at the following video.

Tutorial glogster

View more documents from tutorialestic

Thursday, 7 April 2011

RECEPTIONIST PROFILE

We will include here different compositions.

To begin with, have a look at the following job profile of a receptionist. Read it and write down a similar one using your own words.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

TYPES OF BUILDINGS

Types of Buildings-MFdez

Monday, 21 March 2011

SCHOLARSHIPS

Are you between 16 and 30 years old? Would you like to study English abroad this summer? If so, have a look at the following link. The deadline is March 30th.

STRONG ENOUGH - CHER

Enjoy this song by Cher.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

MR BEAN IN ROOM 426

Here you can see a video of Mr Bean. You can say what it is happening and put into practice all the vocabulary and expressions you have learnt during the course.
Enjoy it!

USE OF ICTs IN ENGLISH FOR HOTEL AND CATERING

JORNADAS TIC. 31st May 2010. CRIF LAS ACACIAS. MADRID.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

SIMPLE PAST - -ED ENDING

The pronunciation of -ed ending is a bit difficult for some students. If you didn't have enough practice in class and you want to improve your pronunciation I recommend you to click here to go on practising. It is a webpage by the BBC where you will find some listening exercises to do and some explanation about the -ed ending pronunciation. At the end there is a quiz page on the subjetct. Do it, please!

Wednesday, 9 February 2011

MICHAEL JACKSON & AKON - HOLD MY HAND

The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is hidden in mystery. But we know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
If you are interested in this topic and want to know more, click here

And now sing along this new hit.

Thursday, 3 February 2011

INTERVIEW. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. MADRID

Would you like to see and listen to some of your classmates doing the interviews in Mayor Square? If so, watch the following video.
Thank you, students! It is gr8!

This is the unabridged version.

Wednesday, 26 January 2011

CRY, CRY (BY OCEANA)

Here you can see and listen to Oceana singing 'Cry, Cry'. I hope you enjoy it.

Here you have the activities and the lyrics.
Cry, cry

Sunday, 16 January 2011

BOOKING A ROOM IN A HOTEL (FACE TO FACE)

Here is an example of a dialogue that takes places in a hotel between a receptionist and a guest. It can be used a as template for you to practise speaking.

R: Good evening madam.

G: Good evening, my name is Jackson. I have a room booked for tonight.

R: Oh right, I´ll just check…..What was your name again?

G: Jackson, Elizabeth Jackson.

R : Jackson? Er….. well there is no record of a reservation here. Did you make your booking by phone?

G: No, by email. I´ve got a copy of your reply here, look.

R: I see. Well there´s nothing on the computer.

G: Well, do you have a room?

R: I´ll just check……Oh! Yes, we seem to be half-empty tonight.

G: Well , can I have a room then?

MAKING A RESERVATION (FACE TO FACE)

Have a look at the following website where you will be able to practise and to listen to a dialogue that takes place in a hotel between a guest and a receptionist.
http://www.audioenglish.net/english-learning/english_dialogue_hotel_booking_a_room_2.htm

Here are more dialogues and listenings for you to practise.

http://www.audioenglish.net/english-learning/efl_hotel.htm

PROJECT: TOURIST ATTRACTIONS QUESTIONNAIRE

Here you have the document with the guidelines you need to do the project.
Good luck! =)

PROJECT

A TOURIST ATTRACTIONS QUESTIONNAIRE

Assignment: This project should be carried out at one of the top tourist attractions we can find in Madrid. You must interview two people and ask for permission to video-record the interview. If not, at least ask permission to record the sound. Do it in pairs. Some interviews will be published on the blog www.agr8tourblog4u.blogspot.com for educational purposes.

Aim: To use English as a tool for communication and to get to know the people who visit our country (nationalities, reasons for travelling, accommodation chosen, opinion about tourist attractions…)

Assessment criteria: It will be graded from 1 to 10 and will be part of the mark of the oral skills.

Deadline: By Friday 4th February 2011.

You can begin like this:

Good morning/afternoon/evening. I’m a student of Hotel Management / Tourism at Hotel Escuela High School, Madrid. We are doing a project about tourist attractions in Madrid. Would you mind answering a few questions? If you don’t mind, we would like to record the interview as a class practice. Thanks a lot.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS:

Where are you from?
How long are you staying in Madrid?
What is the purpose of your visit?
Where are you staying (type of accommodation)?
What monuments or places have you visited so far?
Which one did you like most? Why?
Could you give us a short description that summarises its main features?
Did it fulfil your expectations? If not, why not?
From you point of view, which are the top five visitor attractions in Madrid?

Student recommends one or two more places to visit (one of them has to be a ‘natural attraction’).

Thanks for your help. Enjoy your stay.

Saturday, 8 January 2011

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

HELLO EVERYONE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have you got any New Year's Resolutions? A 'resolution' is a promise to make a change in your life.

Read the following extracts taken from the books 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4', by S. Townsend and 'Bridget Jones's Diary', by H. Fielding. Then answer the questions that follow.

This is what Adrian Mole wrote down:

Thursday January 1^st

Bank Holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

These are my New Year’s resolutions:

I will help the blind across the road.
I will hang my trousers up.
I will put the sleeves back on my records.
I will not start smoking.
I will stop squeezing my spots.
I will be kind to the dog.
I will help the poor and ignorant.
After hearing the disgusting noises from downstairs last night, I have also vowed never to drink alcohol.

(From Townsend, S. (1988) The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾. Methuen, London. p. 11).

Here are some New Year’s resolutions Bridget Jones wrote down in her diary:

New Year’s Resolutions

I WILL NOT

Drink more than fourteen alcohol units a week.
Smoke.
Waste money on: pasta-makers, ice-cream machines or other culinary devices which will never use; books by unreadable literary authors to put impressively on shelves; exotic underwear, since pointless as have no boyfriend.
Spend more than earn.
Get annoyed with Mum…
Bitch about anyone behind their backs, but be positive about everyone.
Sulk about having no boyfriend, but develop inner poise and authority and sense of self as woman of substance, complete without boyfriend, as best way to obtain boyfriend.

I WILL

Stop smoking.
Drink no more than fourteen alcohol units a week.
Reduce circumference of thighs by 3 inches (i.e. 1½ inches each), using anti-cellulite diet.
Give all clothes which have not worn for two years or more to homeless.
Improve career and find new job with potential.
Save up money in form of savings. Poss start pension also.
Be more confident.
Be more assertive.
Make better use of time.
Not go out every night but stay in and read books and listen to classical music.
Give proportion of earnings to charity.
Be kinder and help others more.
Eat more pulses.
Get up straight away when wake up in mornings.
Go to gym three times a week not merely to buy sandwich.
Put photographs in photograph albums.
Learn to program video.

(From FIELDING, H.(2001). Bridget Jones’s Diary. Picador. pp. 2-3)

QUESTIONS:

Have you made any New Year's Resolutions? Which ones?
Are they similar to the ones made by Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones?
Did you stick to the resolutions you made last year?
Do your resolutions have to do with personal appearance, behaviour, school, home, hobbies, voluntary work or any other aspects? Which ones?
When do you make your resolutions: at the beginning of the school year or when the New Year begins?

LISTEN AND ENJOY IT

CONTACT

SKILLS AND OTHER AREAS