New Twitter Account

We have a new Twitter Account! twitter_bird_logo_2012-svg

You can follow us @CN_HSlanguages and we encourage all pupils and parents to do it and keep up with the latest of the department in a quick and easy way.

If you don’t have Twitter, setting an account is very easy and, as said, it will be a very useful to way to keep track of what our young people are doing and learning in the Modern Languages Department, as well as exciting news related with languages!

 

National Poetry Day

Today is the National Poetry Day and to celebrate it, we are sharing a short and beautiful poem by an Argentinian author called Jorge Luis Borges, who is one of the most famous and important names in the Spanish literature since last century.

This poem is called Un patio and first you have the Spanish original version and then we have attached an English one, so you can see how it translates. We hope you enjoy it!

Un patio

Con la tarde
se cansaron los dos o tres colores del patio.
Esta noche, la luna, el claro círculo,
no domina su espacio.
Patio, cielo encauzado.
El patio es el declive
por el cual se derrama el cielo en la casa.
Serena,
la eternidad espera en la encrucijada de estrellas.
Grato es vivir en la amistad oscura
de un zaguán, de una parra y de un aljibe.

At evening
they grow weary, the patio’s two or three colours.
Tonight, the moon, bright circle,
fails to dominate space.
Patio, channel of sky.
The patio is the slope
down which sky flows into the house.
Serene,
eternity waits at the crossroad of stars.
It’s pleasant to live in the friendly dark
of entrance-way, arbour, and cistern.

Free Spanish Short Films

Watching movies in the foreign language is a great way to work on the listening comprehension skills and acquire new vocabulary. However, watching a full film can be very tiring, left alone all the time it requires. That is why a great alternative, but equally useful, can be watching short films.

Here there is a link to a webpage that hosts Free Short Films in Spanish, with English subtitles. Have a look and immerse yourself in a bit of culture while praticing the language!

 

Top tips from experts to learn a language quickly

Tricks of Tongue

Top tips from experts to learn a language quickly

  • Take risks and speak the language whenever you can.
  • Read children’s books and comic books in the foreign language.
  • Consume foreign language media.
  • Immerse yourself in the local culture.
  • Make use of free foreign language podcasts and apps.
  • Don’t practice in isolation; get feedback from native speakers.
  • Don’t worry about making mistakes.

If you want to see the whole article from the BBC, go to http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150302-secrets-to-learning-a-language

But to START TAKINGS RISKS, go to a version of the article written in Spanish: to http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/03/150309_vert_cap_aprender_idioma_rapido_yv 

Videos ELE

ELE stands for Espanol como Lengua Extranjera (Spanish as a Foreign Language).

ele

Our students are all ELE students, and so if you search in the internet for any resources or information adding the label “ELE”, the search can be more fruitful.

VideoEle is an example of a very good webpage addressed to ELE students. And the great thing about it is that all the Units are sustained around a video (whose transcripts you can read, of course).

We are sure you will find this website extremely useful!

http://www.videoele.com/en/Curso_en.html

letra_grande_sin_sombra

Links between languages and other skills

Some interesting facts about language and how they relate to other skills. In order to see the whole article and other facts from different studies, follow the link below!

  • Language learning boosts brain plasticity and ability to code new information
  • The first language you learn changes how you hear all other languages afterwards
  • People who learn foreign languages have bigger brains
  • The biological base of learning maths and language is a single symbolic processing system
  • Delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease
  • A new study (paywall) suggests that children who speak multiple languages are better at understanding other people
  • Boys and girls learn language differently

[Source: http://www.all-languages.org.uk/news/features/speaking-mind-links-languages-skills/]

Rehearsal for the Fiesta

Today we had the big first rehearsal, because the Fiesta is ON MONDAY!

Yes, time flies. Here we can see some of our students involved. We hope to see you all on Monday!

Benefits of biligualism – Part II

Here comes, the second part of last entry’s podcast. It may be interesting to listen to that as well. You can do it from here, or directly from the BBC website.

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[CNHS does not own the image or the audio file contained in this entry. The later has been downloaded from the BBC webpage and it is shared here for educational purposes]

Benefits of Bilingualism – Part One

This podcast by the BBC explains some interesting facts about speaking more than one language. Have a look at it from here or go to the BBC website page where you can also find it.

cc_bilingual_wmain

[CNHS does not own the image or the audio file contained in this entry. The later has been downloaded from the BBC webpage and it is shared here for educational purposes]