The Scroodge Brothers

This is The Scroodge Brothers read by Lynsey Pilcher

Cinderella

This is the play Cinderella read by Lynsey Pilcher

The Water Cycle

This is The Water Cycle, read by Lynsey Pilcher.

Thanksgiving Day 2011

Today is Thanksgiving Day, one of the most familiar festivities in USA and CANADA. Time to be grateful for all you have achieved, and time to be generous too with the people that is not so lucky as you are.

You can find plenty of information about this subject in the article published in this blog two years ago.

I would like you to visit this other page as well, and enjoy the photos of one of the most famous Thanksgiving parades in USA : Macy's 2011 parade.

And tomorrow is black Friday, ready to make your Xmas shopping?

Christmas is here...

For those who love Xmas: A Christmas Carol. A traditional play in English very close to you, in Fuengirola.

Tickets sell  out soon so hurry up and plan your next Bank Holiday. You can get there by train, the theatre is round the corner, and tickets are only 10€.

And if you want to get the most of it, you're still in time to read the tale. It's a delicious short story, a classic that you shouldn't miss.

THERE IS /ARE

Just a contribution to check if it works: a link to learn about 'there is/are'.

Hello everyone,

As it was Halloween last week, I´m going to tell you a bit about the ghosts of Edinburgh, the city where I am from. Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities in the United Kingdom, so I hope you don´t get scared too easily!

People say that one of the most haunted places in Edinburgh is an old, narrow street called Mary Kingś Close, which is in the old, historic part of the city. In the 17th Century, a plague broke out in Edinburgh and many people became ill and died. Beause of the plague and because of overcrowding in the city, walls were built to close off Mary Kingś close. However, many people say that some plague victims were deliberately trapped in the street and left there to die. Mary Kingś close was re-opened in 2003 as a tourist attraction, and many people say they have seen headless animals and ghosts of pale, ill people walking around the street. If you ever visit Edinburgh, you can go and see for yourself...

Another famous ghost in Edinburgh is called the Tunnel Piper (a piper is someone who plays the bagpipes). The Tunnel Piper haunts Edinburgh Castle, which was built in about the 12th century and is now one of the cityś most popular tourist attractions. There are many secret underground tunnels in Edinburgh, and one of them connects Edinburgh Castle to a main street called The Royal Mile. Hundreds of years ago, when people discovered these tunnels, a piper was sent underground to explore. As he was exploring, he played his bagpipes so that people above the ground could hear him and track his progress. However, when he was halfway down the Royal Mile, the piping suddenly stopped. A rescue party was sent underground, but they could not find him - the piper had simply disappeared. No one knows what happened to the piper - but visitors to the castle often say they can hear the sound of the bagpipes from underground...

I hope these stories weren´t too frightening! Next time I will tell you a bit more about Edinburgh and where I live.

Lynsey x

Unit 5 How rocks are formed

Discover how sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks are formed:
Go to the animations


In the following website you will find an interactive rock cycle animation.

Go to the website

Unit 5 How fossils are formed

Watch the video and you will learn how fossils are formed.

Hello!

Hello everyone, my name is Lynsey and I am the new auxiliar de conversacion at Martiticos. I am from Edinburgh in Scotland and I have come to Malaga to help students (and teachers!) to speak English. I am looking forward to meeting you all!

As you know, on 31st October it is Halloween, and we are going to be doing some Halloween activities in class. In the UK it is tradition for children to go "trick or treating" on Halloween - this is when you dress up and sing songs, and your neighbours give you sweets. It´s a lot of fun!

See you all next week,

Lynsey x

Welcome to Martiricos

As you may know, our school is 150 years old. We have had very important students here like Picasso or Severo Ochoa,  and this year we start a new stage: we have bilingual groups. This means that all the students in 1ºESO will have Science and History in English and in four years time all the students will be in bilingual groups.

This blog will be exclusively in English so that you can find here news about the activities we do in class, and information about English speaking culture.

We will also have a little magazine edited by our 1º and 2º ESO students every month.

Parents can publish here too if they wish, they only have to get in contact with Lola Galán and she will help them with the task.

This is the place to publish your poems, to tell interesting things to your friends or to enjoy your favourite songs, just tell your teacher the ones you want to upload.

We hope to have many exiting ideas from you to make this blog a meeting point for all our English friends.

See you... here!

See you next year!

Hi folks! Today we´ve been downtown Málaga taking snapshots of the English words you can find in shops or restaurants. There are many, many of them all over the place, sometimes we even use the English words thinking they are in Spanish as it happens with parking. Some franchises don´t even care about translating their own publicity into Spanish, and it feels so cool to announce their summer collection or their frozen yoghurt.

We ended up on La Malagueta, there we had some fun despite the cold water.

And from here we want to see you off until next year.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!

International year of forests 2011

Forget about the end-of-academic year rush. Watch this and relax...

Our Easter. Article written by Ángel Luis Díez López 3ºESO B

In my city, Easter is a very important festivity. Tourists come from many countries to see our processions.

Different sculptures of Christ and Virgins go around Málaga´s streets in spring nights.

PALM SUNDAY

Every Palm Sunday, Pollinica brotherhood visits Malaga´s city center. The “nazarenos” carry olive branches to celebrate Christ arrival in Jerusalen.

The “Lágrimas y Favores” Virgin walks around Málaga in Palm Sunday morning too. Antonio Banderas, a very famous actor, comes from USA to help in the procession.

At 3 o´clock, “Dulce Nombre” brotherhood gives us a serious and rigorous environment.

After 45 minutes, the “ Salutación” steps Málaga´s roads.

In “el Ejido”, the “Prendimiento” prepares to leave.

15 minutes after that, the “Huerto” leaves from Mártires in search of our city center. It shows a very special Christ praying in a garden.

At 17:15, “Salud” brotherhood leaves from San Pablo, in Trinidad.

The last procession is “Humildad”. This procession is called “Servitas Blancos” because they are very silent.

EASTER MONDAY

It is a very special day in Málaga.

Monday is opened by “Crucifixión”. It comes from “El Ejido”. From start to finish, the “portadores” wear two fantastic “tronos”: a crucified Christ and a sad Virgin.

The second procession, at 17:15, is “Gitanos” in Los Frailes. It is a very singular parade. People sing “saetas (songs)” to the images. A Christ tied to a column and María de la O. If you are gypsy, this is your procession!

If you live near “los Mártires” you have to see “La Pasión”. It is very special because there are two “tronos”: a very handsome Christ and a desperate Virgin.

At 19:00, near the Roman theater, “Estudiantes” brotherhood begins its journey.

From Santo Domingo, “Dolores del Puente”, goes out in procesión at 20:00. There are two images of crucified Christ in the first “trono”, in the second “trono”, the virgin is crying.

But the most special and waited parade is “El Cautivo”. This is a very simple image but it´s very beautiful. It is Málaga´s most famous procession.

HOLY TUESDAY

It is a good day.

At 15:30, from “La Victoria”, “Rocio” brotherhood begins it journey. The virgin “Rocio” is very special in Málaga because it is Málaga´s girlfriend.

After 30 minutes the “Nueva Esperanza” is preparing to leave. That procession starts at 16:00 and it finishes at 4:00! It is the longest parade of the day and people have to be walking for 12 hours!

But it´s very interesting: the Christ is carrying a cross.

The “Penas” brotherhood is very special too. The Christ is very normal but the Virgin´s mantle is very different: it is done with flowers!

The “Rescate” and the “Sentencia” are very similar but they are very interesting so you have to see them both.

The “Estrella” brotherhood is very beautiful: its Virgin is crying and it´s very startling.

HOLY WEDNESDAY

“Salesianos” are the earliest parade. It is a very serious procession and it only has one “trono”,

“Fusionadas” is very special with 4 “tronos”. It´s the slowest procession so you should sit down.

Every year, the “Rico” brotherhodd releases a prisoner. It is a very old tradition and it´s very exciting too.

The “Paloma” is very well known too. Some doves fly near its Virgin.

The “Sangre” is a very ancient brotherhood. The Christ is crucified and it is very bloody.

“Expiración” closes this day. It is a very beautiful brotherhood.

HOLY THURSDAY

This is the best day of the week. The “legionarios” come to Málaga to accompany the parades.

The “Santa Cruz” opens this day. It is a very simple brotherhood but it is very interesting.

The “Cena” is very singular because it has the biggest “trono”.

The “Viñeros” is very important too.

But the most important and waited processions are “Mena”, “Misericordia”, “Zamarrilla” and “Esperanza”. The “legionarios” accompany them.

GOOD FRIDAY

Christ has died and everybody is very sad.

At 17:35, “Dolores” starts its parade.

The “Descendimiento” shows the descent of Christ from the cross.

“Calvario” is a very disconsolate Virgin.

In the “Traslado”, Christ is carried to the tomb.

In the “Amor”, the Virgin is crying thinking about her child.

In the “Piedad”, Christ has died and the Virgin is holding him.

The “Sepulcro” shows Christ´s tomb. Everybody is silent and the virgin is crying.

But the most diferent and special procesion is “Tercera Orden de Siervos de María Santísima de los Dolores (Servitas)”. It is a scary parade. The “nazarenos” ask for forgiveness to the Virgin. While the procession is passing, the lights are out. We can only hear nazarenos´s laments. The Virgin is very simple but it´s very scary and beautiful.

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

There is only a procession this day : ”Resucitado”. Christ has raised from the dead and the Virgin is very happy.

50 years ago...

As you may probably know by now, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria this year. For this reason, some students from 2º ESO want to show you the things children used to have for breakfast in the 1960s in comparison to the things they have nowadays.

They brought the cakes and drinks into class and after the lesson they ate them all, yummy, yummy!

PS, the giant chocolate cake was made by Álvaro, and he will love to give you the recipe!

SPRING IS HERE

Spring has come again, and here we are worried about marks and end of second term activities. I propose you an activity, what about sharing poetry with your friends?

It could be a long poem on spring like this one by Christina Rossetti:

Frost-locked all the winter,

Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,

What shall make their sap ascend

That they may put forth shoots?

Tips of tender green,

Leaf, or blade, or sheath;

Telling of the hidden life

That breaks forth underneath,

Life nursed in its grave by Death.

Blows the thaw-wind pleasantly,

Drips the soaking rain,

By fits looks down the waking sun:

Young grass springs on the plain;

Young leaves clothe early hedgerow trees;

Seeds, and roots, and stones of fruits,

Swollen with sap put forth their shoots;

Curled headed ferns sprout in the lane;

Birds sing and pair again.

There is no time like Spring,

When life`s alive in everything,

Before new nestlings sing,

Before cleft swallows speed their journey back

Along the trackless track-

God guides their wing,

He spreads their table that they nothing lack,-

Before the daisy grows a common flower,

Before the sun has power

To scorch the world up in his noontide hour.

There is no time like Spring,

Like Spring that passes by:

There is no life like Spring-life born to die,-

Piercing the sod,

Clothing the uncouth clod,

Hatched in the nest,

Fledged on the windy bow,

Strong on the wing;

There is no time like Spring that passes by,

Now newly born, and now

Hastening to die.

Or it could just be a short one like this poem by the same author:

Who Has Seen the Wind?
by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you;
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I;
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

Give your favourite poems to your teachers to have them published here.

8 de marzo, día internacional de la mujer trabajadora

El martes, 8 de marzo, desde hace 100 años, celebramos del Día Internacional de la Mujer.
Es una ocasión tan especial sirva este documento como homenaje.


Si quieres saber más sobre este día consulta los siguientes enlaces:
* Documento multimedia
* Wikipedia

Únete a la celebración a través de Google: Join women on the bridge

Groundhog day 2011: no shadow, spring is near!

Today is Groundhog day. The story of this celebration begins with Candlemas, an early Christian holiday where candles were blessed and distributed. Celebrators of the holiday eventually declared clear skies on Candlemas meant a longer winter. The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, brought this tradition to the Germans, who concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather or "Second Winter." German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania, but how did Punxsutawney Phil emerge?

In 1887, a spirited group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club." One member was an editor of Punxsutawney's newspaper. Using his ink, he proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, to be the one and only weather prognosticating groundhog. He issued this proclamation on Candlemas, and yes, Groundhog Day. Phil's fame spread, and newspapers from around the globe began to report his Gobbler's Knob prediction.

Today you will find 20,000+ in attendance and millions watching on television or via the web.

Málaga in the 60s

Ángel Luis Díez López 3º ESO B

There was an industrial growth in Málaga in the 60s. Also the services grew. And the most important one: our economy was opened to the rest of the countries. Foreign people were investing in our country and in our town. And the people that lived in the villages went to the cities to improve their lives. This was the most important fact in our economy. The agriculture was more modern too!

In my city, Málaga there was a tourist development. English, German and French people came here. The "boom" of Torremolinos was very important. People bought houses in this town.

People were not literate and only could study those who had got money. Those who did not attend school, worked in the tourism. This caused many people to emigrate to other countries. Unemployment, lack of opportunity and misery forced to thousands of people from Málaga to go abroad in search of a better world. Emigration was an option to find employment in Germany, Holland... Many of these emigrants returned to Málaga later on, while others took root in cities that host them. France and Germany were the main destinations of these emigrants. Those who migrated learnt a new language, new customs... The main objective of the emigrants was raising money to settle. The train station of Málaga was the place where many emigrants began their trips. But no only Europe was the culmination of the people of Málaga. Australia also received them.

In those years, there were some very important singers: John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix... And in my city, there was a very important movement: the "Beatlemania". Everybody heard the songs of this band.

In 60s, the sales of cars and televisions increased. Also improved healthcare. There were improvements in Franco's regime too. There were new patterns of social relationships and new patterns of relationship between the sexes.

The dresses showed more skin and curves. Mary Quant, stunned the world with the miniskirt. Hot pants arose. The typical costume pajamas or shorts were essential to look at fashion parties. Men grow their hair long and you could see many beards and sideburns there. Also in men's fashion colors were bright polyester pants and turtleneck sweaters.

A Spatial movement appears with a futuristic and minimalist approach. The designers were inspired by pop art, and there was the fashion boom "unisex".

These are the most important things that happened in the 60s in Málaga when our high school Nuestra Señora de la Victoria was built.

Burns' Day in Scotland

24th January was the worst day of the year, someone said. Nevertheless, there are many people who will have a great time on 25th January.

Today is Burns day in Scotland. It commemorates the life of the poet Robert Burns, who was born on January 25, 1759.

Tonight will be the time of eating Scottish delicacies such as Scotch broth, cock-a-leekie soup or potato soup, accompanied by Scottish Oat Bread. Haggis, sheep liver, heart and lungs together with oatmeal boiled in broth. Neeps, turnips, and tatties. They will toast with a good Scotch whiskey and will finally sing Burns´ poem auld lang syne, you will recognize the song from the films, people always sing it on New Year's Eve

Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam. The same singer, the same song, the same dream: PEACE

Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam. The same singer, the same song, the same dream: PEACE




Luiza Lozano

50 years ago in Málaga...

This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our building in Nuestra Señora de la Victoria. It would be interesting to remember what happened in Málaga at that time to have a complete view of the situation.

I propose you a task: find out what Málaga was like in the 60s.

You can ask your grandparents, go to a library, search in Internet, or talk to your teachers (specially to Mr Jiménez, he knows a lot about Málaga).

There are many subjects you can choose: economy, politics, education, family life, music, fashion, neighbourhoods...

That is, you can write about Francisco García Grana, mayor in 1960; the tram; Pepa Flores versus Marisol; or the Princess Ira Von Fürstenberg's first husband, Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and their house in Marbella...

Start working and talk to your teacher of English to publish it here.