Session 4. MY FREE TIME

Today you have to write about your Free Time. Here you have some questions to help you write your post. You don't need to answer all the questions, just the ones that are interesting to you, but you must include the paragraph about your experiences and answer the 3 questions.
Remeber to write an Introduction, 2 or 3 Body Paragraphs and a short Conclusion.

INTRODUCTION
Do you have enough free time?
About how much time a week do you study?
Who do you spend your free time with?

How do you spend your free time?:
INDOORS
Do you read, watch TV or listen to music? What sort of things?
Do you play any indoor games? (e.g. boardgames: chess, cards,etc.)
Do you have any hobbies? Tell us about them.
Do you belong to any (indoor) club? Tell us about it.

OUTDOORS
Do you play or watch any outdoor sports? If so, which sports?
Do you get any exercise? (e.g. walking, jogging, riding a byke, swimming, etc.)

ENTERTAINMENT
Do you go to the cinema, theatre, ballet, opera, restaurants, etc.? Tell us about what you like to do best.

PAST AND FUTURE EXPERIENCIES
Did you have any hobbies when you were a child?
Are there any hobbies you would / wouldn’t like to try? Why?
What are you going to do next weekend?

CONCLUSION
Do you think you use your spare time well or badly? Why?


Finally, add comments on 3 of your classmates’ blogs
Word count: 150 words minimum.

SESSION 3 > A career -related website/An expert on your field

This session you have to choose ONE of these two topics:
A career -related website /An expert on your field

Topic 1: A career-related website that you enjoy visiting.
You should:
-provide a link.
-describe the website (sections, features, etc).
-say how often you visit the site.
-explain why you like the site.

Topic 2: A person / expert on your field that you admire.
Make sure you include his/her image and say:
-who he/she is (a short biography).
-what he/she has done (examples of their work).
-why you like him/her.

Be sure you write about 180-200 words, please.
Remember to add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ posts.

April 13 -SESSION 2: 1st THEMED POST: MUSIC

Hello everybody: The first topic you have to write about is Music. Here you have some bullet questions that will help you write your post ( You don’t need to answer all the questions, but you have to write the introduction, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion): Introduction: How important is music in your life? How does music make you feel? Body: (likes and dislikes) Is there any kind of music that you particularly dislike? Who is your favourite group or singer? Why do you like him/her/them? (music resources) Have you ever been to a concert? Do you listen to the radio or your or your own music collection, primarily? Do you ever download music files from the internet? Do you ever buy CDs? (songs with a special meaning) What is your first memory of learning a song? If you were a song, what song would you be and why? (my musical skills) Can you play a musical instrument or read music? How well do you sing? Do you like singing karaoke or while in the shower? Closing paragraph or conclusion: What do you think the world would be like without music? Why is music so important to people and culture? Remember to write around 200/250 words and leave comments on 3 of your classmates' posts. I hope you get a lot done!!!!

CONNECTORS AND EXPRESSIONS TO GIVE OPINIONS

HOW TO CONNECT YOUR IDEAS - HOW TO GIVE OPINIONS
Main Connectors

RESULT – SUMMARY
So – Therefore, – as a result – thus – Consequently, – in this way – in short – in brief
CONCESSION
However, – Nevertheless, – despite – in spite of – yet – although – though – still …
CONTRAST
Instead – in comparison – but – on ( the ) one hand – on the other hand – by contrast – whereas – otherwise
ADDITION
Also – and – Furthermore, – Moreover, – in addition ( to ) – besides – above all…
REASON
Because – since – as - because of , due to – thanks to - that’s why – that’s the reason why -
EMPHASIS
As a matter of fact, – in particular – Of course, – In fact, – indeed – in any event…
ILLUSTRATION
For instance – for example …
REPETITION
Similarly – likewise – in the same way…
SEQUENCE
First – next – then – finally – at last – eventually – in the end…In conclusion,
Firstly – Secondly- thirdly…

Useful Phrases for Opinions

- Many people claim that…
- It is true that….
- This is not an exaggeration … even though…
- I tend to dis/agree with …
- In my view…
-As far as I'm concerned,
- In conclusion, – To conclude,
- I can understand…, However, …
- As we have seen/will see, there are ( at least ) two sides to this issue.
- I am convinced that we can / deal with this situation /improve this situation / solve this problem…
- This is an issue that / can be solved / must be faced …
- Another aspect of the issue is…
- In my opinion, the advantages of… far outweigh the disadvantages…
- We can argue that… but…
- Personally I am in favor of…..


Expressions used to introduce a new topic
as for, in regards to, concerning (en cuanto a, en relación a)
in reference to, with regards to (tocante a , concerniente a )
about, concerning (acerca de)

WRITING A COMPOSITION

When writing a composition keep the following in mind:
-Before writing the composition, jot down all the ideas that come to your mind.
-Keep to the point.
-Organize your ideas logically.
-Divide your ideas into paragraphs.
-You can start with a generalization and then get into details.
-Illustrate your ideas by giving examples.

Different Parts of a Composition
Whatever you choose to write for a composition, you usually follow the same basic structure: Introduction/Opening + Body + Conclusion/Closing

1. Opening (1 paragraph)
It consists of a presentation of the topic (use an attention grabber: something to capture the reader’s attention.
It contains the ideas you are going to deal with (a quick overview of what’s coming)

2. Body (2-3 paragraphs)
The body is a group of paragraphs that develop on the main idea as introduced in the opening.
Each paragraph argues, describes, explains, discusses, defines, clarifies, illustrates or whatever on the opening statement.
One idea is discussed in each paragraph.

3. Closing (1 paragraph)
It can be a summing up, reviewing or restating the main idea in different words or briefly stating your opinion, feelings or suggesting a solution, or some “food for thought” or a wish…

Ensure the concluding paragraph is not too long; three or four sentences will be enough.
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How can you write an attention grabber?

By...
-Making an unexpected statement
-Using Humor
-Using a relevant quotation
-Posing a Rhetorical question designed to arouse curiosity without requiring an answer
-Shocking the Audience with an unexpected fact or statistic

Examples:
A good attention grabber: "The death penalty is the most premeditated of murders"; “Elvis is not dead...”; “Who said that the countryside is boring?”; “Seagulls are just rats with wings”; “Hating seagulls is like being racist or homophobic”

A bad attention grabber: “Today I have to write about...”; “the topic of this post is...”

Session 1: WELCOME

A warm hello to all of you, dear students. I hope you enjoy this experience of working with blogs. I also hope you have the chance of sharing ideas, get to know your classmates better and learn a lot. Here’s what you are expected to do in your first blog session:

• Create blog

• Link your teacher’s blog and ALL your classmates’ blogs to yours. To do this you need to write your URL on the board.

• Personalize blog (e.g. add a picture, survey, change colour fonts, etc). ......................................................................................

Now I would like you to write a short introductory/welcome post. (70 words) Say who you are and what objectives you hope to achieve with your blog. Please, leave comments on at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

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STEPS TO MAKE A BLOG

1. go to: http://www.blogger.com/
2. click: create your blog now
3. if you have a google account: sign in first
If you don’t have a google account: create a google account (step 1)
4. (step 2) name your blog
5. (2) choose any template you like
6. start posting (dashboard)

And now you’re ready to start posting!

Useful Tip (1) > include links on your blog

Follow these simple steps to include links on your blog:

1. dashboard
2. layout
3. add a gadget

4. link list
5. add links info
6. save