I wanted to thank you all for having me in your class . Here is one kiss from your friend Carolina .

Tradition To Our Table

Chestnut season is here!

Tradition says that on November 11th there are chestnuts at our table, right?
Here are my fresh chestnuts ready to go to the oven to be roasted. Can't wait to eat them with my boys and husband. What about you?

In France traditions are different, though.

Please check this info shared by your teacher, Anita Duarte.

Pas d'école le 11 novembre! Mais pourquoi?

Le 11 novembre, le président de la République François Hollande et deux adolescents déposent une gerbe devant la tombe du soldat inconnu, sur laquelle brûle en permanence une flamme.

 © Philippe Wojazer/ Pool/ AFP

1jour1actu.com/ 

Guessing Activity - WHO IS (S)HE?

Guessing Activity for all:

1. Here are the descriptions (some of) you handed out.
2. Seven (short) texts for you to identify who the classmate is - boy or girl!
3. One entry each, you just need to write down the number and the name, ok?
4. Only on Monday will I say who the winner is: the first to successfully identify the classmates and write down their names in the correct order in a comment.
5. Besides the 10 points, the prize will be a (real) WRISTWATCH :)

1 - She is thin and short. Her hair is shoulder-length, wavy and brown. She is a bit boring, bossy and impatient.

2 - She is a very energetic girl - sometimes TOO energetic – and she is talkative and a little bossy. She has got long wavy dark hair; she is quite tall and slim (but not that skinny) and has some zits. She has got beautiful light brown eyes and thin lips.

3 - He is a very short and thin boy; his eyes are brown and he has got short straight brown hair. He can be very fun, but sometimes he can also be boring. He is a great friend though, and he helps me whenever I need.

                                                                                                                                                

4 - She is a very beautiful girl. She has got hazel eyes and wears glasses and she has got long straight light brown hair. She is thin, of medium height, drinks a lot of water and loves reading. She is very a friendly, caring, honest and talkative girl.

She is one of the classmates I can relate best in class.

She is everything I did not think of her.

5 - He is tall and slim.

He has got short spiky brown hair.

His eyes are brown and he is very friendly; he's funny, generous and nice, but also a bit lazy.

He is not only very photogenic but also very skillful with computers.

                                                        

6 - He is tall and slim. He has got black hair and wears glasses.

He’s cheerful, talkative and energetic.

He usually wears jeans and a shirt or a t-shirt.

7 - He is of medium height and slim. He wears glasses and he’s talkative.

He usually wears jeans, a t-shirt and trainers.

Well, what are you waiting for???

UPDATE:

There were two winners, Joana and João, as both were correct...

As promised, here is a pic with the prize(s):

Book Recommendation, by RAQUEL

It's true that on holidays we all have more time to do what we really like doing, especially reading, but its benefits are so acknowledged and relevant that we should all make time for reading every single day of our lives.
I believe Raquel is one of those people. Please look carefully at her book recommendation, "The Secret Keeper", by Kate Morton, not only in what concerns its content but also format, once she uses a WEB 2.0 tool that is new for many of you, Prezi.
Don't forget to leave your appreciation in the end, ok?

Our Halloween!!!

TRICK OR TREAT

        Joana, Verónica and M. Beatriz - 8ºA!!!








                           1st November is my birthday :)

Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on the night of 31 October. This celebration of Celtic origin is over 2000 years.

Legend has it that on the night of 31 October, the dead return to populate the earth and therefore the personification of the ghost. Its goal was that the family of the dead would leave food and drink on the doorstep for the reception of spirits.

This tradition was taken to America by settlers where Halloween is, today, one of the most popular festivals in the country. Costumed boys and girls roam the neighboring houses repeating the phrase "Trick or Treat?" and receive sweets in exchange for the peace of the homeowners.

From America it has been exported worldwide, including Portugal.

A Spooktacular Halloween!

This free digital greeting card created with Smilebox

One of the most comprehensive and trustworthy sites I often go back to is http://www.history.com/. There you can find lots of info on the History of Halloween, fantastic funny videos as well as infographics. If curious, please check here.
Furthermore, you also have our Wonderopolis below. You can read the info and in the end of the article you'll find a light bulb and a question highlighted in blue. If you click on it, a quiz will pop out. Great, isn't it?

Enjoy a spooktacular Halloween with Marilyn Manson and my favourite Halloween clip - an oldie but goodie from Tim Burton's 'The Nighmare Before Christmas' re-cut with Marilyn Manson's version of 'This Is Halloween' for the re-release of the film in Disney.

 

This is MY favourite, what about yours? And if you're dressing up for Halloween, don't forget to share a pic here :)

National Honour Position

Congrats, dear students!

(Y)our class blog has been awarded with a national Honour Position in what concerns Innovative Initiatives in Teaching / Learning Languages :) at  http://www.erasmusmais.pt/erasmusmais/images/pdfs/erasmus_pulicacao_resultados_141014.pdf 

Full of pride, girls and boys! Hope you feel even more energized to keep your good work.

Did you know...?

Did you know that...

Source: www.jewlicious.com

- today is World Food Day?
- the European Union made 2014 the European Year Against Food Waste?
- tons of fruits and vegetables are thrown away each year?
- there are still thousands of hungry people around the world? And that Portugal is no exception?

Here's a poem in which the author, Laurence Binyon, lets HUNGER speak for itself...

I come among the peoples like a shadow.
I sit down by each man's side.

None sees me, but they look on one another,
And know that I am there.

My silence is like the silence of the tide
That buries the playground of children;

Like the deepening of frost in the slow night,
When birds are dead in the morning.

Armies trample, invade, destroy,
With guns roaring from earth and air.

I am more terrible than armies,
I am more feared than cannon.

Kings and chancellors give commands;
I give no command to any;

But I am listened to more than kings
And more than passionate orators.

I unswear words, and undo deeds.
Naked things know me.

I am first and last to be felt of the living;
I am Hunger.

Taking also into account that our country is undergoing a time of crisis, here's a video I would like to share with you. It's informative but also a great campaign to minimize waste. Please have a close look at The (In)glorious Fruits and Vegetables and then, for 10 points, leave your comment, answering the questions with your parents' help and tips:
1. Do you / your parents agree with this campaign? Why (not)?
2. Should Portugal and the Portuguese supermarkets do the same?
3. Would you / your parents buy such fruits and vegetables? Explain!
4. Please suggest other ways to solve the problem of food waste.



If you are willing to help fight Hunger in the world, why not play a game?
Play and learn online with http://freerice.com/category: a game in which for each answer you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme to help end hunger. You can choose subjects, learn and contribute for a worthy cause!!! 
Do try and enjoy :))) 

One Direction

In 2010, five boys ran to a musical reality show, The X Factor .

These guys are today the most famous boys band in the world.

This band is ONE DIRECTION !

This boys band - One Direction - is composed of four British elements and an Irish one.

Harry Styles, one of the British elements, and the most "desired" by Directioners, was born on 1 February 1994 , in Cheshire , UK, to Anne Cox and Desmond Styles. Harry also has a sister, Gemma Styles .

Harry has emerald green eyes and curly brown hair; he also shows his dimples when he smiles :) - they are adorable and super fluffy and Harry has several tattoos spread all over his body, such as a huge butterfly under his chest. Harry is 1.80 m tall.

Louis Tomlinson , another British element, was born on December 24, 1991 in Doncaster, UK . Louis is the son of Johannah Poulston and Troy Austin and has six sisters Felicite Tomlinson , Charlotte Tomlinson , Daisy Tomlinson , Phoebe Tomlinson , Georgia Austin and Doris Poppet Deakin, and a brother, Ernest Rupert Atholl Deakin .

Louis has light brown hair and blue eyes. Just like Harry, Louis also has tattoos and his 1.75 m tall.

He is currently dating Eleanor Calder .

Zayn Malik (Zain originally , but he prefers Zayn), is also British and was born on January 12, 1993, in Bradford , UK. Zayn Malik is the son of Trisha and Yaser Malik . Zayn Malik has three sisters: Safaa , Doniya Waliyha Malik and Malik .Zayn has dark brown hair and brown eyes, too , and like the aforementioned members , also has tattoos. He is 1.70 m tall.He is currently engaged to Perrie Edwards, of Little Mix. 

Liam Payne, the last British I'll refer to, was born on August 29, 1993, in Wolverhampton , UK . Liam Payne is the son of Geoff and Karen Payne and he has got two sisters, Nicola and Ruth Payne .Liam, just like Zayn, also has brown hair, brown eyes and tattoos. He is 1,73m tall and is currently dating Sophia Smith .

Niall Horan, the only Irish, was born on September 13, 1993 in Mullingar , Republic of Ireland. Niall is the son of Maura Gallagher and Bobby Horan and he has got only one brother, Greg Horan .Niall is blond with blue eyes and has no tattoos, unlike all the others. He is 1,71m tall. Niall is currently single. 

This boys band has released three albums: 1 Up All Night , Take Me Home 2nd , 3rd and a 4th one will be released soon.The first album was released on November 21, 2011; the second on November 12, 2012; the third on November 25, 2013  and their fourth album is expected for  November 17, 2014 . When fame came, they started participating in different television programs , such as iCarly, Dancing on Ice and Saturday Night Live.

Here they are:

Craziness

                                    1st English test.       
                                    1st day of craziness. 
             

 Loved this day, especially with the news that one day we could go to London together !!!!

First English Test

Today was our first English test!!
<3

I am Malala, a teen just like any of you

Source: www.hindustantimes.com 

Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi have just been jointly awarded the prestigious 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. What is there in common between this Pakistani teen and the Indian Engineer? Well, both have been fighting for children's rights and education especially in less privileged areas of the planet; there are, however, differences in what concerns their origins and their age, and at just 17, Malala is the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Surprising? Not at all! In spite of her young age, Malala started blogging when she was just 11 years old and her views / blog entries crossed borders for defending the right to education among girls and that was exactly what led to an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Can you imagine yourself boarding a bus to go to school and being shot??? Have you ever thought, girls, what it would be like if you were banned from school???
Not even that stopped her though! After a miraculous story of survival and already in England, her activism reached a whole new level.
Writing, blogging, getting involved in society as a responsible and caring citizen is a way of leaving your mark, no matter how young / old you are and the proof is Malala - a young girl, by now a bit older than you, but who refused to be silenced and stood up for her and her peers' rights.
She will inspire you to make a difference in the world!
She will give you the strength to believe in the power of a young person's voice to inspire change!
If she can, so can you!!!

Having Malala's book cover as background, please listen to some of her inspiring quotes by this phenomenal class, 8.A, by placing the cursor on the pic and then clicking on the links. Some more bits and pieces on this extraordinary young woman are also provided. Thanks!

The Daily Sourense Reports on cinema

Many students and teachers at Martinho Árias have had the privilege of going to Coimbra for a French cinema session this week. And what an opportunity to socialize, to have fun, and obviously to listen to some French. The best though... being away from school, with classmates, and not having had classes the whole morning!!! LOL!
Now here is the news, in French, thanks to teacher Anita Duarte:

    La Fête du Cinéma Français ? On adore ! Trop cool le film ! Nicolas et ses copains nous ont fait bien rire et nous avons passé un bon moment.

Des vacances comme ça, nous aussi on aimerait en avoir !

Now, our news report in English:

Teacher Fernanda Ladeira also reports in Portuguese:

Inspirado na obra “ Les Vacances du Petit Nicolas”, o realizador francês agraciou-nos com momentos hilariantes e de grande ternura, em que os valores como a amizade, a fraternidade e o amor faziam parte das vivências das personagens, que se encontravam de férias no “Hotel Beau –Rivage”, junto à praia. Tal como num postal de férias, o público da plateia do TAGV assistiu, encantado, ao desfile das figuras emblemáticas de veraneantes, num décor colorido e tranquilo de férias.

What about you? What have you got to add?

French Film!!!

    The movie is about to start, but first let me take a selfie!

    


     Jokes on the bus with my best friend, Joana.