IES Juan Antonio Pérez Mercader Bilingual Blog

 Hello everyone,  In English class this week we wrote some New Year's resolutions.  We discussed the New Years resolutions that students had made for this year, as well as the best way to write a resolution (what tenses and themes to include.) They then wrote three phrases for what they want to achieve in 2021. Most included studying hard, getting fit and to be able to travel again.  Here our some examples from the display board:  Do you make New Year's resolutions? What are your goals for the coming year?  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Next term I'll be working with 3ESO and I'm looking forward to updating this blog with everything I get up to with my students.  Thanks for reading this year! See you in 2021,  Alice 

 Hi everyone,  I wanted to share this wonderful end of term exhibition of work by students in 2ESO called 'Imagining the Middle Ages'.  We have been studying the Middle Ages, including how art and architecture changed over time, for example the differences between Romaneque constructions which used thick walls and had little light compared with the pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass of the Gothic period.  Enjoy these images of Medieval castles and cathedrals they created at home. I was particularly impressed by students' attention to detail and their use of recycled materials, lots of Amazon boxes got a second lease of life!  What do you think of our exhibiton? Alice

 Hello everyone,  We are continuting our Christmas themed classes in English this week.  Students watched a video about the differences between Christmas traditions in the UK and the USA :  We then had a discussion about how these traditions and customs are different or similar to what happens in Spain during the festive season.  Next students had a go at making their own Chritsmas crackers, reading these instructions and following a video tutorial:  1. Place a toilet roll in the centre of one of your A4 pieces of wrapping paper, and use sellotape to keep it in place on the paper. 2. Roll the wrapping paper around the toilet roll lengthways, leaving the sides long. 3. Twist one side of the paper so that it is pinched by the end of the toilet roll, and tie it with ribbon. 4. Place all of your fillings inside the open section of the paper and toilet roll. 5.  Repeat step 4 on the open side Why not try making one yourself!  Alice 

Hello everyone,  In this week's History class we learnt about the history of the Christmas card! This video discusses the origins of the tradition and how it differs around the world.  Did you know that in the Czech Republic, cards are sent to celebrate the New Year, rather than Christmas? Or that in the 1800s cards were inspired by the coming spring, featuring flowers and fairies?  Can you guess how many Christmas cards are sent out by the White house every year? Check out the video for more trivia! We watched this video and discussed why people still enjoy sending physical cards in our digital world and why in Spain cards aren't very traditional.  Students made their own cards for our display board and wrote messages in English inside:  Do you send Christmas cards to your loved ones?  Just 9 sleeps left until Christmas now!  Alice 

Hi everyone ,  In our History classes we have been making our way through the Middle Ages, learning about life in Medieval Europe.  This class was about Romanesque art and architecture. I gave students this presentation about the origins of the style, the importance of cathedrals during this era, the architectural variations across Europe and the key characteristics of Romanesque sculpture and painting.  We then wacthed this YouTube video and answered some questions:  Why do some buildings have both Romanesque and Gothic elements? When people went on pilgrimages, what did they visit in the cathedrals?  Why did towns start building cathedrals?  What is the most notable feature of Romanesque cathedrals?  Why are these cathedrals so dark?  What scene normally decorates the tympanum (area above the doorways)?  What is the overall shape of the cathedral?  Why is it shaped like this?  What type of arches do we see in Romanesque cathedrals...

 Hello everyone,  The puente break has come to an end so it's now well and truly the run up to Christmas here at IES Juan Antonio Peréz Mercader and things have been getting festive in our English classes.  Students were challenged to create a digital Christmas card to spread some festive cheer! We had some amazing cards from across the whole school, but there were some that really stood out;  these are the winning entries!  1st place 1-2 ESO Manuela Martínez  Runner up 1-2 ESO Gema Eugenio  1st place 3-4 ESO Iván Garzón Romero  2nd place 3-4 ESO Claudia Traves  3rd place 3-4 ESO Julie Bervel We hope you enjoy these cards as much as we did, just 17 sleeps left until Christmas!  Alice 

 Hello everyone,  On the 6th of November, the  dia de la constitucion española is celebrated in Spain.  In the UK, we don't have a formal written constitution, according to the British Library 'unlike most modern states, Britain does not have a codified constitution but an unwritten one formed of Acts of Parliament, court judgments and conventions.' The USA, on the other hand has a very famous written constitution.  The American constitution, signed on September 17th, 1787, established the nation's national government and it's fundamental laws, as well as guaranteeing certain basic rights for its citizens.  We watched this video in English class and answered some questions:  Who makes the rules for America?  What are the two groups that make up the congress called?  How many articles does the constitution have?  How many amendments does the constitution have?  What do you know about the Spanish constitution? We then had a discussi...

 Hello everyone,  Antoine Lavoisier is considered the father of modern chemistry.  Students watched this short video and completed a listening comprehension exercise, answering questions about his life and work. Can you answer these questions? Where was Lavoisier born?  Where did he study?  What sciences did he study?  What was he passionate about? What was his wife’s name? How old was she when they got married?  What did she help him with?  What gas did Lavoisier discover the role of?  Which gas did he give a name to?  Which two gases did he discover make water?  What type of book did he write?  What was his other job?  What was he accuse of being?  How was he executed?  What is he still referred to as?  Alice