What is a project?

“A project is an in-depth investigation of a topic worth learning more about. The investigation is usually undertaken by a small group of [students] within a class, sometimes by a whole class, and occasionally by an individual [student]. The key feature of a project is that it is a research effort deliberately focused on finding answers to questions about a topic posed either by the [students], the teacher, or the teacher working with the [students]. The goal of a project is to learn more about the topic rather than to seek right answers to questions posed by the teacher.” Katz, L. (1994).

Steps for doing the project

1. Topic selection: Students think about a topic taking into account their interests. The most important thing when choosing a topic for the project is that it is of their real interest. Otherwise, they will work unmotivated. The topics can be academic or just of a personal interest.

2. Exploration: What do students know about the topic? Students brainstorm and share what they know about the topic they chose.

3. Questioning: Students answer the question: what do we want to learn? They explore the aspects they want to learn more about and pose specific questions that guide their search. The idea is that they learn about meaningful and purposeful topics.

4. Planning: Students answer: how are they going to learn about the topic? What instruments are they going to use to obtain the information they need. Examples: books, magazines, newspapers, databases, Internet, videos, interviews, questionnaires. The teacher and/or the students define a timetable that sets up a guide of what each person is going to do.

5. Defining the format for the project: Students decide on what they want to do with the information collected. They choose an oral and written format for the project. Some examples of oral formats are: a presentation using visual aids like Power Point or posters, a play, a news, a talk show, a contest, or a game show. Samples of written formats are: an album, a poster, a brochure, a booklet, a didactic game, a big book, a web site, a magazine, or a newspaper. If the format for the project is a video or a play, the oral format is the video and the play itself, and the written format will be the script.

6. Monitoring: It is important that students keep revising how the process of the project is going. They can do this asking for an advisory session in order to receive feedback about the content and the form of the project. Regarding the content, it is important that the text is original; about the form, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, coherence and cohesion should be considered. It is also important to review that the team is accomplishing the dates to do every step of the project, the quality of the work done, and what still needs to be done.

7. Presentation of the project: Students get ready to present the oral and written format of the project. The written format of the project should include: a cover, with the names of the participants, the course, and the date; an introduction, where the aim and the contents of the project are explained; an outline or a table of contents; the contents; the conclusions, where you write what you learned about the topic, doing the project, and working with your partners, and some recommendations for other students to take into account during this work; and finally, the references, the sources of information used for the project. During the presentation students cannot read nor memorize, instead, they should explain their projects in a natural way and include the audience with a planned activity or simply asking some questions at the end of the presentation.

8. Evaluation: the final format of the project will be assessed by the teacher with a quantitative grade, but all the classmates will do peer-assessment. There, they have to give feedback to each group completing three statements: I liked the project because …, I think they have to improve …, My suggestions for them are ….

Do you like to listen to music in English?

Let's try this web site! It is an amusing one where you can select among a range of songs in English, listen to them, sing along and do some activities. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.isabelperez.com/songs.htm

Link to listen and read along

In this site you can type a text you want to listen to, then you can read aloud to practice your pronunciation. You can also check the meaning of some unknown words. Try it on!

http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Reader.do

Medellín's Nonconformist Mayor Turns Blight to Beauty

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/world/americas/15medellin.html

Penpal program

Do you what a penpal program is?

A penpal program is where you can meet people from all over the world, especially people that are learning languages.
You have to write your profile and wait for someone to contact you.
You can also contact people you may be interested in. The idea is that you communicate with them in English.
Let's practice your English and meet a lot of people!

http://www.inlinguapenpals.com/English/how_it_works/index_idx.asp

Vocabulary to describe people

AGE
young
middle-aged
elderly
old
in his/her 30s
in his/her late teens
in his/her mid-20s
in his her early 40s
petite

BUILD
heavy
thin
slim
plump
medium build
well-built
broad-shouldered
overweight
big-boned
petite
skinny

HEIGHT
5'7'' (5 foot 7)
medium height
average height
tall
short

HAIR COLOR
black
brown
red
blond
ash blond
gray
white
dyed
a blond
a readhead
redheaded
dark
light

HAIRSTYLE
long
short
straight
wavy
curly
parted on the left
neat
windblown
with braids
with bangs
swept back
in a bun (F)
ponytail
bald (M)
balding ((M)
thinning
receding (M)

FACE
thin
long
round
oval
square
high cheekbones
high forehead
thin lips
full lips
long nose
straight nose
turned-up nose
broken nose
Roman nose
flat nose
a cleft chin
a pointed chin
a double chin

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
bear (M)
mustache (M)
sideburns (M)
unshaven
stubble (M)
clean-shaven
a scar
a beauty mark
a mole
freckles
dimples
wrinkles
lines
glasses
hardly makeup (F)
heavily made-up (F)

PERSONALITY
nice
quiet
loud
reserved
calm
moody
(un)sociable
sophisticated
funny
cheerful
polite
reliable
talkative
confident
aggressive
friendly
shy

EYES
blue
gray
brown
long eyelashes
think eyebrows/lashes
bushy eyebrows
thin eyebrows/lashes

COMPLEXION
pale
light
suntanned
olice(-skinned)
dark (-skinned)
black

DRESS
scruffy
well-dressed
casual
conservative
elegant
fashionable

Taken from: New American Streamline Part B

Webster dictionary online

In this link you can listen to the pronunciation of words. Just type the word where it says "Enter a word or phrase", press "enter", choose the meaning according to what you need and click on the red speaker.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Driving Bolivia

Cartagena walls in Cartagena, COLOMBIA

Cartagena walls are an important symbol of our country. They are very big and extensive. Behind them there are some little houses and churches. Around the wall one can see green areas that highlight the grey color of the walls. Their appearance indicates that their construction dates from many years.

The Walls of Cartagena are beautiful. It seems that its construction material is of grey stone. I have never been there but I would like to visit Cartagena some day.

Johana González W-V 8-10

Christmas lights in Medellín, COLOMBIA

This photo shows us the city of Medellín. A city famous for its Christmas lights at the river. Their different figures with lights of many colors cause joy in December not only at the river but also on the streets of the city. These lightings are turned on the 7th of December. They attract many tourists that come to the city to walk along the river and observe the so pretty lightings that the city of Medellín has.

Sandra Jaramillo W-V 10-12

Amazon flower

In the picture of the Amazon, I saw a beautiful flower with many colors. Theflower is red, blue, yellow and has many other colors. The picture inspires love, tranquility, silence, patience; it lets fly my imagination and it transports me to another place.It is very interesting to see how the tenderness of the forest floods my heart and I feel happy. I love the nature, I adore the flowers, the plants, the animals andall the things related one to the nature.

Karla Vidal W-V 10-12

Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

The Corcovado Christ is a one of the most famous monuments in Rio de Janeiro. There is a statue of the Christ on top of the Corcovado mountain. The Christ is open arms, he is embracing the city. This monument has 30 meters high and the statue was built from 1926 to 1931.

Javier Gómez W-V 10-12

Little "paisa" town in Medellín, COLOMBIA

The pueblito paisa, is a full-size replica of Antioquia town, it is a small and cultural place. There are restaurants and stores. There is a museum, a church, and a little fountain. The pueblito paisa is on top of the Cerro Nutibara that has a lot of threes, flowers and many plants. There you can also find the Carlos Vieco open- air theater where you can enjoy of this nice cultural center.

Andrea Córdoba W-V 8-10

The “PUEBLITO PAISA” is the typical Antioquenean town. It has a church, the mayor's office, the school, the barber's, the shop, the typical house, and other houses around the square. The little paisa town is an icon that represents the beauty of the people of this region and also their customs. It has a panoramic view of Medellin with a natural balcony. There is also the air-free “Carlos Vieco” theatre. The PUEBLITO PAISA is beautiful and is a pleasant place to go on the weekend, the place is big, cool, tranquil and lovely. The children raise kites meanwhile their parents are relaxed. There you can find all kind of crafts and typical food.

Yulieth Ríos W-V 12-2

The pueblito paisa has always been a typical icon of the city of Medellin. In the photography a general plane of the park can be appreciated. There we can see the main church with old characteristics of the time and the water fountain. We can also appreciate the typical kiosks that are traditionally used to sell fruits, vegetables and meat; but that are currently used to sell handicrafts made by curious craftspeople. The houses reflect the genius and the art of the ancient architects and builders.

Ximena Hernández W-V 10-12

“El pueblito paisa” is a very beautiful place where the culture of Antioquia is represented. There you can see how a typical town of Antioquia was. There are many old and little houses, a big square with a fountain in the center and around it a church, bars, and shops where the visitors can find and buy typical things. The buildings are not big and tall as now, and for this reason the place is very nice and natural.

Laura Ospina W-V 10-12

Silleteros parade in Medellín, COLOMBIA

This is the main event in the flowers fair, it is a tradition of generations for men, women and children.Medellin is famous for its flowers and exports them all over the world. One of the highlights of the flowers fair is the silleteros parade with its processions of farmers. It is one of the largest events of the country. In the parade we find beautiful flowers cultivated in the country plenty of colors. People meet in downtown to celebrate this event.

Paula Sierra W-V 10-12

In the picture we can see a silleta. A silleta is a bunch of flowers distributed to form different and creative shapes and sometimes messages. The main silleta that can be seen in the picture has a very big yellow butterfly made of flowers and there are some other flowers above the butterfly, there is also a message made of flowers that says: That life always blossoms as an eternal spring.

Libia Cadavid W-V 8-10

Statue of Liberty

This picture is very beautiful, we can see the Statue of Liberty with a chalice in its right hand, the statue is on an island, I can se the sunset is very cool. There are light around the statue, the sea has a dark colour, the ocean is peaceful, wow...the sky is red, I think that there is a building near the statue, but I'm not sure. I would like to visit this place, the statue seems to be with no left hand.

Alejandro W-V 12-2

New York is the most populous city and it is probably the biggest city in the in the United States.
In this picture New York has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles, it is at night.
The Statue of Liberty is a large statue that was given to the United States by the French. It is on the Liberty Island in the harbor of New York, around it, there are many buildings and mountains.
It is also a major tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable icons of this city.
The statue is a female figure standing upright, dressed in a robe and a seven point spiked rays representing a halo, holding a stone tablet close to her body in her left hand and a flaming torch high in her right hand.

JOHANA QUINTERO GÓMEZ W-V 12-2

Iguazú

This picture shows "La Garganta del Diablo", and it's one of the 270 falls of the Iguazu river, this river has 1,210 km long and its between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Iguazu is derived from the Guarani language and means "water and big". The Iguazu falls are a great natural show in South America, the water falls since 80 meters tall and during the wet season it has 4km long.

Miguel Rodríguez W-V 12-2

Ecuador

El Peñol stone in Antioquia, COLOMBIA

El Peñol is this immense rock that is just out from the earth in Guatapé, Antioquia. The people from the surrounding towns believe it was a meteorite that had crashed into the earth. It’s beautiful a beautiful landscape. It has 649 steps from the bottom to the top.

The stairs used to be of wood and but now they’re made of stone. At the top there is a little restaurant.

Any of the views from the top are fantastic. The rock is surrounded by dozens of man-made lakes that were made when a dam was built to create electricity for the area.

Many of the little islands in the area are home to some of the richest people and their beautiful homes with private docks.

Luber Cardona W-V 12-2

Artist painting in Shangai

A local artist is working on a painting on the famous Bund www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bund a street alongside the Huang Pu River in Shanghai / China.

Ankor Wat