03 March 2012 / by Radmila Gurkova

The rain 'NOT' in Spain

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVmU3iANbgk

''The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain''

Have you heard this expression before?
It is from My Fair Lady, a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.
It is very common for practicing pronunciation, especially of -ei-

 

However did you know that there has now ben no rain in Spain for three months?
This will be the direst period during the winter months since the 1940'sThe Spanish State Meteorological Agency - AEMET said that February would end without more rainfall and they now can confirm it is a drought. This is an 'EXTRAORDINARY DRY CHARACTER'.

In only three months Spain has seen 58 litres of rain per square metre.
It's not rained in Leon for 26 days and Barcelona for 44 days - This must be a record?
Is it a global PHENOMENON or just the usual deforestation?
In the coming months agricultural businesses will suffer putting more strain on economic and financial situation causing more disruption.

... now everyone sing along to the video!

DEBATE



  • What will happen if it doesn't rain in Spain all year long?

  • Is weather always the topic for SMALL TALK?

  • What are the other main points of discussion in Spain?


KEYWORDS




































































Word Image Definition Example Listen
Driest Superlative of dry. A dry climate; the driest season Listen
Drought Severe lack of water, no moisture Very hot countries have DROUGHTS Listen
Phenomenon A fact, circumstance, event Ipads are a relatively new phenomenon. Listen
Deforestation   To cut down the trees in a forest. Deforestation of the Amazon is shortening the life of the planet. Listen
Drink To ingest a liquid I drink coffee in the morning. Listen
Rain When water falls from the sky It was raining all day Listen
Weather   What the temperature and climate is like. The weather was beautiful Listen
Longest Superlative of long Ana's hair is the longest in the class. Listen

 GRAMMAR STRUCTURES 

Click here to learn more about homophones

Click here to find out the difference between plain and plane

06

March 2015
Tiers for fears & choosing words to teach
by Vincent Chieppa
Any conscientious teacher knows that choosing words to teach is not as easy as it seems.  Sure you can deal out words left, right & center.  However, would your students understand, grow & be empowered?  Fortunately, there is a nifty little 3 tier model that helps teachers enable their students to broaden their language capacity. &...

03

March 2015
Dealing with disruptive or difficult students
by Elena Riches
Whatever kind of teacher you are, be it a maths teacher, an art teacher or a teacher of karate, there will come a time when you will have problems managing your class/group of students and if you cannot find a way to do it effectively your students can become uninterested, unmotivated or quiet, and will seldom reach your desired goal...

27

February 2015
How to... use emails for ESL teaching
by Vincent Chieppa
In this day & age paperless teaching is the future.   Seeing that this is the case it should be no surprise that the next step should be using emails for ESL teaching.  How emails are incorporated in the out-of-class learning experience depends of course on the nature...

24

February 2015
Teacher student interaction: teachers are learners too!
by Elena Riches
So, you've completed your TEFL course, gained your certificate and procured a job. The next part is, how do you do it vs how do you do it well. I personally don't think there is a wrong and right way of teaching as everyone has their own way and each way works for them; providing the students are learning what they've set out to learn then...

20

February 2015
Teaching new vocabulary: 7 fail-safe strategies
by Vincent Chieppa
If teaching grammar forms the frame for language acquisition, teaching new vocabulary provides students with the building blocks. It is therefore the teacher's responsibility to bring home the value of these building blocks by presenting them in perspective - that is, in a way that is relevant and useful for the students. In order to do th...

18

February 2015
The trials and tribulations of being a TEFL teacher
by Elena Riches
If you're thinking of becoming a TEFL teacher you might want some information of what you get out of it from someone who has firsthand experience of being one. ...

13

February 2015
ESL error correction techniques for the classroom
by Vincent Chieppa
As any experienced ESL teacher knows, the type of language errors students make are as diverse as the students themselves & their attitude toward learning.  This in turn will dictate which of th...

10

February 2015
TEFL teacher: What does it take to become one?
by Elena Riches
For those already familiar with the term 'TEFL' (an explanation of the various terms can be found here) you will know that it means teaching English as a foreign language but, what do...

10

February 2015
ESL teaching through the eyes of Cynthia Amuneke from Nigeria
by Radmila Gurkova
My name is ...

06

February 2015
Setting effective boundaries in the classroom
by Vincent Chieppa
ESL teachers could face disruptive behaviour from their students on a daily basis and this can lead to distress, tension and/or anxiety.  For this reason it is important for teachers to take charge to ensure that they are setting effective boundaries because by sim...