Sunday, 28 December 2008

Thank God it's Christmas - lyrics

Here's a beautiful Christmas song by one of my favourite bands: Queen. I'm sure you're familiar with some of their greatest hits. (They play them every day on RFM.)

Oh my love we've had our share of tears
Oh my friend we've had our hopes and fears
Oh my friends it's been a long hard year
But now it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas

The moon and stars seem awful cold and bright
Let's hope the snow will make this Christmas right
My friend the world will share this special night
Because it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one night

Thank God it's Christmas yeah
Thank God it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
Can it be Christmas?
Let it be Christmas
Ev'ry day

Oh my love we've lived in troubled days
Oh my friend we have the strangest ways
All my friends on this one day of days
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one day

Thank God it's Christmas
Yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
Oooh yeah
Thank God it's Christmas
Yes yes yes yes it's Christmas
Thank God it's Christmas
For one day

A very merry Christmas to you all



Words and music by Brian May and Roger Taylor

Saturday, 27 December 2008

Friday, 26 December 2008

Joy to the world (lyrics)


I've heard at least 6 different versions of this carol so far but it only became one of my favourite Christmas carols the day I had the pleasure of listening to the version sung by Mariah Carey. She really sings the song in a joyous tone. She's amazing! Yes, you can find her version in the playlist below. :-) Enjoy!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Words: Isaac Watts, 1719
Music: Lowell Mason, 1848

Thursday, 25 December 2008

A little gift: Christmas in the morning

Here's a little Christmas gift to you: a Christmas short story by Pearl S.Buck, an American writer who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. I think you'll like the story... I did. It's called "Christmas Day in the Morning". You can find it at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/christmas/christmasday.html

Mary did you know? (lyrics)

Here's another great song you can find in the playlist below...

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Did you know
That your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know
That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little boy
You've kissed the face of God

Mary, did you know?
The blind will see
The deaf will hear
And the dead will live again
The lame will leap
The dumb will speak
The praises of the lamb

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Did you know
That your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy is heaven's perfect lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding
Is the great "I am".


Image source: Morgan Weistling

O Holy Night (lyrics)

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!


You can find this song in the playlist below.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Wednesday, 24 December 2008

It was the night before Jesus came

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be The Day!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and this sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!


~~~~~Author Unknown~~~~~

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

WHY IS JESUS BETTER THAN SANTA CLAUS?

Santa lives at the North Pole ...Jesus is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh ...Jesus rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year. Jesus is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies ...Jesus supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited ...Jesus stands at your door and knocks, and enters your heart.
You have to wait in line to see Santa ...Jesus is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap ...Jesus lets you rest in His Arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi, little boy or girl, what's your name?"... Jesus knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our history and future, and He even knows our hearts and how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly ...JESUS has a heart full of love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO ...JESUS says, "Cast your cares on me for I care for you."
Santa may make you chuckle but ...JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree ...JESUS became our gift and died on the tree, For you and me.
It's obvious there is really no comparison. We need to remember, WHO Christmas is all about. We need to put Christ back in Christmas, JESUS is still the reason for the season.
Yes, JESUS is better, He is even better than Santa Claus.

Merry CHRISTmas!

Text source:http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/8616/christmas/jesusisbetter.html

Monday, 22 December 2008

What's your favourite Christmas decoration?

What a fantastic faux stained glass window!


It looks like Santa is waving outside in the playground... ;-)

Don't you just love these snowflakes?

The unfinished origami Christmas tree - too bad I didn't have the chance to take a picture of it after it was complete. Its design is intricate and exquisite. Great artwork!

I love the simplicity of this Nativity scene!

These gigantic stars are simply stunning, aren't they?

That's a beautiful cellophane tree, isn't it?

Who said you can't turn used plastic bottles into art?


Congratulations to all the crafts teachers and students involvedin the projects!
I would probably have a hard time if someone asked me to choose my favourite Christmas decoration at school. What about you, what is your favourite decoration?

Saturday, 20 December 2008

Fun time!

Feeling bored? How about reading some Christmas stories, sending e-cards, playing games and puzzles, or even writing a letter to Santa Claus? ;-)
Check out
http://www.northpole.com/Village.html
or
http://www.northpole.com/Clubhouse/Games/ (This way you go directly to the games.)

Monday, 15 December 2008

Christmas lyrics

You can find most of the lyrics of the carols I added to the playlist below at
http://www.allthingschristmas.com/music/lyrics.html
You can also find lots of interesting information about Christmas at
http://www.allthingschristmas.com/

Thursday, 11 December 2008

Winter wonderland - lyrics

Winter Wonderland was first published in 1934. However, you can find a more up-to-date version in the playlist below:

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Gone away is the bluebird,
Here to stay is a new bird
He sings a love song,
As we go along,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say: Are you married?
We'll say: No man,
But you can do the job
When you're in town.

Later on, we'll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid,
The plans that we've made,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,
And pretend that he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,
Until the other kids knock him down.

When it snows, ain't it thrilling,
Though your nose gets a chilling
We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,
Walking in a winter wonderland.

Music: Felix Bernard
Lyrics: Richard B. Smith

Thursday, 4 December 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas


Here are the lyrics of the first carol on the playlist:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five-and-ten, glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Toys in ev'ry store,
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door.
A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots
Is the wish of Barney and Ben;
Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk
Is the hope of Janice and Jen;
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 
Ev'rywhere you go;
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.

Christmas carols

What's your favourite Christmas carol? Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you'll find a Christmas playlist with over 30 carols chosen especially for you. Enjoy! :-)

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

The holiday season


The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day is often called the holiday season.
What are your plans for this holiday season? How do you usually spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day?

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

Think about it!


It's not as funny as it may seem...
15km2 of rainforest disappears every minute!

Sunday, 30 November 2008

Expand your vocabulary - Word games

Here's a link that will help you expand your vocabulary:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-word-games-archive.htm

Once there, all you have to do is pick a word that refers to the theme you want to practise.

You can obviously pick any theme you like. 7th graders, I suggest you pick the theme  people (appearance & personality). You can obviously pick any theme you like, though. 

Friday, 28 November 2008

Think about it

People can be unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

~ Author Unknown

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Did you know that...?

“Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. (…) It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. (…) The traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.” (1)

In the USA Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November.

“Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have.
Turkey, corn (or maize), pumpkins and cranberry sauce are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving." (2)

To find out how Thanksgiving began and to learn about some Thanksgiving traditions visit the following sites:
http://www.crewsnest.vispa.com/thanksgivingusa.htm
http://holidays.mrdonn.org/thanksgiving.html

Text sources:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
(2) http://www.crewsnest.vispa.com/thanksgivingusa.htm
Image source: Norman Rockwell ("Freedom from want", 1943)

Sunday, 9 November 2008

Friday, 31 October 2008

BOO! Have a spooky Hallowe'en!


In the past, people believed the souls of dead people appeared on Halloween. Halloween, or Hallowe’en, is an international holiday celebrated on October 31. On that night children dress in costumes and go from house to house asking for sweets, especially in the US and Canada - that's called "trick or treat". Other Halloween activities are ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o'-lanterns, reading scary stories and watching horror movies. Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America in the nineteenth century. Other western countries embraced the holiday in the late twentieth century.


Check out the following site for some fun Hallowe'en activities:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-themes-halloween.htm


If you want to know more about Hallowe’en traditions and how Hallowe’en spread around the world, just visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween


And why don't you send your friends a Hallowe'en e-card? There are plenty to choose from at 
http://www.garfield.com/cards/card_holiday_halloween.html
http://www.care2.com/send/cathallow1.html

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Grammar time - quantifiers

Here's a little quiz with quantifiers (much, many, a few, some, any, etc):

http://engli.webpark.pl/quantifiers.html

Sunday, 26 October 2008

Did you know that...?

- "In Eastern countries and in South America many people wear shoes made from old car tyres.
- In 1897 a paper maker made horseshoes from recycled paper!
- In Trinidad, West Indies, old steel oil drums are used to play the local music.
- Each milk bottle brought by the milkman in Britain can be re-used 30 times."                                 Source: Teen Time 2, Porto Editora

Just in case you're interested in learning how to make sandals from car tyres, check out the following tutorial:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Blown-Tire-Shoes/

And don't forget that you can always make something useful or artisitic from recycled materials instead of dumping them. Just allow your imagination to run wild...

Image credits: 

Saturday, 25 October 2008

Grammar time - Have or Have got?

For those of you who still have doubts about the use of have and have got, here's an explanation provided by http://www.itests.com/

1. We use have to talk about routines.
I usually have a run before breakfast.
She always has a sandwich for lunch.


2. We can use have or have got to talk about possession of things or characteristics.
He’s got a lot of books about art.
He has a lot of books about art.
She’s got a good sense of humour.
She has a good sense of humour.


Note: We use have, NOT have got, in the past tense to talk about possession.
I had a job interview last week. (NOT: I had got a job interview last week.)
We had a meeting at 2pm. (NOT: We had got a meeting at 2pm.)

Note: We always use have got NOT have to ask questions about possession.
Have you got any books about art? (NOT: Have you any books about art?)
Has she got a bad temper? (NOT: Has she a bad temper?)

Source:http://www.itests.com/xg/editorial/public/about/79

Did you know that...?


"Scrooge McDuck or Uncle Scrooge is a fictional Scottish Glaswegian anthropomorphic duck created by Carl Barks that first appeared in Four Color Comics #178 published by Dell Comics in December, 1947.

Over the decades, Scrooge has emerged from being a mere supporting character to a major figure of the Duck universe. In 1952, he was given his own comic book series, Uncle Scrooge, which still runs today. As the character's popularity rose, he appeared in various television specials, films, and video games.

Scrooge's name is based on that of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character from Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol. Although never explicitly confirmed by Barks, it is theorized that Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who left his country for America at 13, served as a model for Uncle Scrooge.

Scrooge had worked his way up the financial ladder from humble immigrant roots. Born in Glasgow, Scotland he made a living shining boots, and was enraged when a ditchdigger paid him with a US dime. However, the coin inspires him to take a position as cabin boy on a Clyde cattle ship to the United States to make his fortune.

He keeps a portion of his wealth, that money he has personally earned himself, in a massive Money Bin overlooking the city of Duckburg, which he explains to his nephews, in the short Scrooge McDuck and Money, is "just petty cash.""

If you like Uncle Scrooge, then you can find more about him by visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_McDuck

Text source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooge_McDuck

Top image credits: "Scrooge McDuck, the Richest Duck in the World", by Carl Barks. Bottom image credits: A panel from an Uncle Scrooge comic by Jack Bradbury

Thursday, 16 October 2008

Study this!

If you're an 8th-grader in the school where I teach, then you must study the following for this test:

Grammar:
- Simple Present
- Present Continuous
- Simple Past
- Future with "be going to"
- Question-tags

Vocabulary:
- holidays
- the environment
- animals

Grammar time - Simple Past

Check the following links for exercises on the Simple Past:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pasted1.htm (Regular verbs)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/irpast1.htm (Irregular verbs)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pastnq1.htm (Negatives)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pastnq2.htm (Questions)

http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/pastnq3.htm
(Wh- Questions)


If you are still unsure of how to form the Simple Past, then you must visit these pages first:
Forming the Simple Past Tense (Regular Verbs)
Forming the Simple Past Tense (Irregular Verbs)
Negatives and Questions in the Simple Past Tense

Pay special attention to irregular verbs and try to memorise all of them!



Monday, 13 October 2008

Expand your vocabulary - British English vs. American English



Autumn or fall? Well, actually both words are correct when you want to refer to the "the season between summer and winter, when leaves change colour and the weather becomes cooler"(http://www.ldoceonline.com/)
However, British people say "autumn" whereas Americans usually say "fall".

Friday, 10 October 2008

Did you know that...?

" Every year an area of rainforest the size of England and Wales is cut down. This leaves local people homeless, drives animals and plants to extinction and releases more CO2 emissions, which cause climate change, than all of the world’s planes, trains and automobiles."
Source: http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Who_we_are

Photo Credit: Early morning misty view of the forest of East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Borneo Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC

photo retrieved from AP photo archive


In 1989 the British singer Sting his wife Trudie Styler founded The Rainforest Foundation "after they saw first-hand the destruction of the Amazon rainforests, and the devastating impact it had on the lives of the indigenous peoples who lived there." Do you want to know more about The Rainforest Foundation? Then go to http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/ (and don't forget to peep their photo gallery).

You can also help preserve rainforests by making free donations or by sending Endangered Species FREE e-cards to your friends.




If you want to know more about rainforests and the effects of deforestation, the following sites will interest you:

http://striweb.si.edu/rainforest/save_them.html - What to do to save rainforests

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/rainforest/ - All about rainforests (scroll slightly down to skip annoying ads)

http://www.ncusd203.org/prairie/PI/ECOLOGY%20WEBS/Conner/rainforest_deforestation.htm - How did deforestation start?

http://www.effects-of-deforestation.com/ - Deforestation effects, causes and solutions

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/forests - Protect ancient forests