A1- Writing: Visiting Mérida

I’m visiting the Roman city of Mérida.

This is a very beautiful place.

We are seeing its Roman amphitheater.

I'm walking in this old city and it is really exciting.

All monuments are well preserved.

My family and I are taking a lot of photos.

At the top of the aqueduct there are storks.

The new city and the old city are both together.

This place is really nice.

                                    María Del Carmen Fuentes Alba, 1º N. Básico

                                                       

A2 - Writing: A Biography

My brother Francisco’s biography

Francisco is the oldest of all my brothers and sisters. He was born in Loja in 1975. He lived in Ventorros de Balerma with all my family until he was a young man. He studied accounting at university. When he was a teenager he studied in winter, and in summer he worked in a restaurant. He hasn’t worked as an accountant yet because he loves his work as a waiter.

In 1995, when he was twenty years old, he went to work in Barcelona. He began to work as a waiter in a restaurant. He’s a hard-working person and he’s worked in a hotel as a maître d’ since he was twenty-five years old.

He’s been married to a fantastic woman for nineteen years and they have a child. They come back to Loja every Christmas and we visit them some years. He works hard and now he’s studying Russian because he likes languages. Although he lives far from his family, I think he has a good life.

Rogelia González Delgado – 2º C

A2 - Writing: A Biography

My hero’s biography

He was born in 1946 on top of the mountain in the south of Spain. He lived in a small house with his parents, four brothers and five sisters. They weren’t rich — actually, they were really poor because the Civil War had finished a few years before. They didn’t have a TV, a car or electricity. Sometimes they couldn’t eat because they didn’t have enough food. However they were happy because they lived together.

He married the most beautiful bride when he was 21. They didn’t have a honeymoon trip because the day after they went to work abroad. They lived in Germany for five years, then they returned to Spain although not to the south. They went to Barcelona. He was a truck driver and she was a dress-maker. They’ve been a hard-working couple. They had a baby in 1984.

Nowadays they live in Huetor Tajar, and they’re retired but they still work on their fields. They plant tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, etc.

Thanks dad for teaching me. I hope that one day I’ll be as polite, hard-working and kind as you.

Pedro Castro Pedregosa – 2º C

A1 - Writing: My Daily Routine

MY DAILY ROUTINE

I get up at six o´clock. I read the Coran and pray. Then I have my breakfast at seven o´clock and get dressed. I wake up my children at eight o´clock and give them breakfast. Next, I get them dressed and we go to school at ten to nine.

At half past nine I go walking with my friend for one hour and then I go home to clean and make the lunch. At two o´clock I go to school to pick up my children.

In the afternoon, I take my children to their activities and I go shopping. After that, I help my children with their homework and later, I prepare the dinner. I like cooking. After dinner I have a shower and go to bed early, at half past ten. However, at the weekend I like watching tv.

Sarah Beneddine Benkrouf (1ºB)

A1 - Writing: My Favourite Day

MY FAVOURITE DAY

I don´t have a particular favourite day, in fact, I love any day in spring, summer or autumn, when the weather is fine and the temperature is nice and warm. However, at the weekend I feel free because I don´t have to work and I can do what I want. I have to do the shopping for the week on Saturday and I don´t like that. On Sunday, the shops are closed and that´s why I prefer it.

I usually stay in bed until 10:00 because I get up very early during the week. Then I have breakfast with my husband ad we read the daily newspaper. After that I do the housework. I usually do the things that I can´t do during the rest of the week.

I often have lunch with my parents-in-law in Granada. Sometimes we go out with our friends and we go to a restaurant. After lunch we watch a film in the cinema. Other times we walk across the countryside.

We usually have dinner and we watch some tv programmes in the evening. Finally, we go to bed. I use to read a little before I fall asleep.

Sunday is a day when I can recharge my batteries and prepare myself for the following week.

Luisa Mª Calle Maldonado (1º B)

A2 - Writing: Description of a place

The town where I live

I live in El Chaparral, a small village near Albolote, a town in the province of Granada very near Granada city. El Chaparral is about 12 km to the north of Granada, next to the motorway to Madrid, just on the highway exit to a well-known reservoir called, in Spanish, Pantano de Cubillas. El Chaparral is very small, as it only has, approximately, 1,500 inhabitants, while Albolote has about 20,000, including the population of El Chaparral.

El Chaparral has nothing special, but maybe its history does, and it's a really recent history. In 1956 there was a very hard earthquake 5.1 — Richter degrees—, and Albolote was practically destroyed. After that, the government ordered to build a new small village near it, for the people who had lost everything.

Three hundred houses were built for three hundred families. They were big houses with an orchard and a kind of shed for animals.  Each family had a big plot of land for dry cultivation, and a smaller one for wet cultivation. In addition, each four neighbours shared a curious kind of building for drying the tobacco plant called, in Spanish, "secadero de tabaco". This kind of construction was very typical then, but all of them have fallen into disuse.

The streets of El Chaparral are all in the shape of a net, and its houses are no more than two storeys high. Nowadays there are only two or three new blocks of flats with one more floor.

Actually, in the village where I live, there are no old buildings or historic monuments to see, so the most interesting thing you can see or to go to is the Cubillas reservoir. There you can practice some water sports like boating, surfing, jet skiing and fishing , or you can spend a nice day in the countryside and enjoy its sports areas, have a barbecue, or simply walk around the reservoir and enjoy the nature.

The weather in the area is the typical continental Mediterranean weather: cold in the winter and really hot in the summer. The autumn and the spring are very short and sometimes too similar to the winter or the summer. The rain is concentrated especially in the winter, less in the autumn and the spring, and none in the summer.

El Chaparral isn't specially famous, except for the Cubillas reservoir, and recently for some of its restaurants, where it’s more and more necessary to reserve in advance if you want to go for lunch or dinner during the weekend.

The best thing about El Chaparral in my view is that it's a really quiet small village, very near Granada city.  There, life is very nice and, at the same time, you can enjoy almost all the advantages of a bigger city like Granada.

Julián García Díaz. 2º Básico C

A2 - Writing: Description of a place

The town where I live

Loja, which is one of the most important towns in the west of Granada, is the place where I live. It’s a medium sized town in the area known as the Poniente Granadino and it has a population of about 22,000 people.

Loja isn’t very rich industrially. Its economy is based on the service and agricultural sectors and it also has a small marble industry. It’s a clean and interesting town full of a rich monumental heritage, too. Loja has been declared a World Heritage site. There are three main Renaissant churches: Major Church of La Encarnación, St. Catherine’s church and St. Gabriel’s church. In the historic centre is the alcazaba district , the only walled neighbourhood from the old Medina Lawsa, but there are some districts around the town with modern residential areas full of blocks of flats, restaurants and places where you can buy things.

The weather is typical of the continental Mediterranean climate. Winters are cold and rainy and summers are dry and hot. The annual average temperature — about 16 degrees — is ideal for sightseeing.

Loja is famous for its Holy Week celebrations, declared an Event of National Tourist Interest, where you can see elements as the “corrías de ìncensarios”. It’s also famous for its food and has many local specialities, like the nationally well-known “rosco de Loja” (which comes from an Arab recipe), trout and sturgeon from Riofrío, extra virgin olive oil, asparagus, lamb with own designation of origin, honey, hams and other cured pork products. They’re delicious! One of its best tourism attractions is free gliding activities.

What I like best about Loja is that we are so close to nature. There are a lot of routes routes where you can be in touch with nature. One of them is the Water Route, which has numerous springs, rivers and streams, as well as over one hundred fountains. 

María Ascensión Moral Fernández. 2º Básico, Semipresencial

B2.1 - Writing: Opinion Essay

Most high level jobs are done by men. Should the government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women? 

“If women are happy, the nation will be happy too” (quote from Koran).

Everyone knows there is inequality between men and women in the world of work. So, I strongly believe that the government should encourage the access of high level jobs to women.

To begin with, women are as clever and capable as men to do and think brilliant things. In fact, the history of mankind is full of marvelous women like Marie Curie who discovered radioactivity at the end of the nineteenth century. Something which saved a large number of lives and that nowadays, we still continue using.

Moreover, if the human race wants to get ahead, this is important and it is urgent to change the old way of thinking because gender inequality is not just a problem at work, it is a problem of the entire society. This is why I think that a high level authority like governments play an important role.

In addition, if laws judge women for their acts like men, why are they considered less important or a poor copy of men?

To sum up, the government should not encourage but must have the obligation to support women and open the gateway to high level jobs.

NORA LOUAÍL 4ºB

B2.1 - Writing: Opinion Essay

Most high level jobs are done by men. Should the government encourage a certain percentage of these jobs to be reserved for women?

Nowadays, it is true that most high level jobs are done by men, even in companies where most workers are women. I agree up to a point that the government should encourage women to do these kinds of jobs but not to reserve the positions for them. What is more, I think that it is the government the one which should encourage companies to hire more women for high positions.

In my opinion, the own companies should offer the opportunity to both, men and women, to get a promotion in high levels jobs or even offer directly this kind of tasks. Both of them should access without paying attention to their sex. Just in those jobs that depend directly on the government, such as public service positions,they should be responsible for ensuring that those positions are taken in the same amount by women and men.

My main reason is that nowadays, men and women are able to have the same qualifications and skills to get this kind of jobs, both of them are able to get ahead, therefore, they also should have the same salary. It is widely known that men and women performing the same job have different salaries; however, this is not usual in the public sector.

From my point of view, I think that managers of companies can think that women will need to reduce their working hours. Also, it is thought that women are able to have a biggest absenteeism rate because of their family or maybe because they will turn the job down whereas men are going to have more availability.

To sum up, I think that women and men must have the same opportunities under the same conditions to get high rank jobs and is the government who must offer this tasks to women in public services positions. Also companies are responsible for doing it in the  same way.

MARINA JIMÉNEZ CABALLERO 4ºC

B2.2 - Writing: An opinion essay.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN THEN AND NOW

The role of women in society has changed throughout history. In the old days it was considered that women were the property of men, making them totally dependent on a man in order to survive.

The Second World War produced a new industrial revolution in women. The workplace was occupied by women and due to these circumstances their new role in the factories was socially accepted. Next, women began to join university education and to participate with their work in several specific areas. In Europe and part of America, the feminist movement which fought for women´s equality and their liberation began and ideas such as the female vote and the entrance of women to education.

The participation of women in economic life is a process of great personal and professional demand, because they have to deal with responsibility at home, children and a huge list of functions.

At present, women have full importance, invade universities and take place with men in all areas of society, in positions of hierarchy, as well as in scientific research and medicine, the high political positions and in culture.

In conclusion, equality between women and men have all the human rights and all conditions to get the development and reduction of poverty.

Laura María Martín García. Grupo: 5º CAL bis. 

B2.2 - Writing: An Opinion Essay

People should be forced to travel by bicycle rather than by car for all short journeys. This issue should be regulated by law in each city or even country where traffic problems are really serious. Some measures should be taken to improve or even solve this problem. Educationally, teachers could highlight how important is using different ways of public transports to take care of the environment and exalt how good is doing a bit of physical exercise, at least for a short distance.

From my point of view, for most of us, using cars even for shorts journeys is really comfortable. First and foremost because we do not stop and think about traffic problems, even the level of contamination is increasing in a very worrisome way, which could be really dangerous for our health and this is only because we only look for our own amenity, which could be due to a lacking consciousness about this problem. Personally I think that a way to get people use bicycles or even go on foot for short journeys can be installing cameras in a certain area of the city to control the movements of cars in this area. If they do not respect the specific laws in order to get this goal, drivers can be penalized.

Some people love travelling by car because they think it is the most independent way of travelling. Another group of citizens, the rich, can evaluate that walking for short journeys could be stingy or a discredit but there is no evidence to support it. I would like to mention people that are always protesting about the traffic problems although they do not do anything to remedy them.

To sum up, we could get people use bicycles for short distances hardening laws or even fines. Informing citizens about optional ways of transportation through different mass media or reinforcing consciousness from schools among other measures.

 

Desireé Montero Sánchez. Grupo: 5º CAL bis

B2.2 - Writing: A story

An autumn day

It had been raining the day before but that morning was a light and warm autumn day, an excellent day to enjoy in the nature, this was what David thought when he opened the window of his flat in the extremely noisy city.

David quickly called three of his friends and met them an hour later in the park near of his building. They drove along a narrow and sinuous road into the mountains. When they finally arrived close by the river, they left the car and they walked through the dense forest towards the highest peak. While they were climbing they could see a small cabin in a clearing in front of a cliff, at that moment David remembered he had spent a fantastic summer there when he was a child. Half an hour later the boys surmounted the summit and they could contemplate the wonderful autumn landscape. Suddenly, the youngsters saw a spectacular storm in the horizon, they needed to find rapidly a place where to protect themselves, so they ran downhill until the hut, but unfortunately it was close, for this reason they looked for refuge in the cliff, luckily they saw a small gap in the rock behind the brushwood, they went into it and discovered a magnificent cave with extraordinary rock formations along several halls, passages and lakes.

This cave was the most beautiful place that they had ever seen in their lives. It had been the most surprising thing that ever happened to them, and probably ever would.

José Antonio Lobato Delgado.  Grupo: 5º CAL bis

B2.2 - Writing: A Story

COULD    YOU    BELIEVE    THIS?

That warm summer night, everything  seemed to be calm. It was two in the morning after having dinner with Jane´s parents  and decided to return home. The sky was starlit and they wanted to drive breathing the fresh and pure mountain air.  John was driving as slow as a tortoise and  listening to romantic music in order to enjoy the trip.

Suddenly, a bright, blinding light appeared in the sky, illuminating the closed night. A gigantic unidentified object descended from the sky as quick as a flash and stopped right in front of them. A green, alien creature no taller than 80 cm came out of it. They had never seen anything like this.

John and Jane were terrified.  Jane grabbed her husband and shrieked:

- "What is this? We are going to die!"

 The strange creature approached them slowly and yelled:

- "Calm down! I just want to study life on this planet. If you quieten down, I'll return you without anyone ever realising that you have disappeared. Time will stand still for everyone, but you must cooperate. If you do not, I will destroy you now. You decide!"

John and Jane who were embracing and crying agreed to the demands of this mysterious being. They had to trust that it would keep its word and that it would not betray them.

They followed it towards the spaceship and... that is the only thing which they remembered until the moment they  found themselves in their car.

"It had been the most surprising thing that had ever happened to them, and probably ever would"

María José Arroyo B2.2

B2.2 Writing - A story

Curiosity kills the cat!

As far I can remember, I've been interested in all kind of insects and I've always been a great animal lover as well. If I had finished all my studies properly, I'd have been good at both, Entomology and Zoology. Nevertheless, I have to recognize that sometimes my curiosity has got me into troubles for not being too careful with nature.

When I was a child, my family used to spend some days at Easter in a cozy cottage that a friend of them had hired out to us for the duration of the holiday. At that time, spring was really breathtaking: fresh and multicolor flowers on the ground, amazing butterflies everywhere and a calm river whose water reflected like a mirror the sky during the day and the stars at night. Standing in the countryside was like a dream for me.

One day, I was killing time looking for and picking up each strange bug I saw.

'Don't touch it!, it may be poisonous!' my father yelled.

'Don't worry. They're harmless anyway,' I muttered. 

Later, I went for a walk around alone. While I was sauntering, I spotted an old pool behind the yard of a nearly collapsed house. It seemed that the owners had abandoned it. I thought there would probably be tadpoles in it. The pool was surrounded by a rusty fence so that no one could enter...

As nobody was there, I started to open the hardy fence, but due to the abundant vegetation I didn't realise something. An asleep snake, which was the same colour as the vegetation, was curled up on the fence. Thus, it was camouflaged! So, just as I was about to open completely the fence, suddenly the snake woke up and bit my hand. I felt such a painful bite that my screams reached my parents.

'Mum! Dad! Help me, please!' I shrieked.

Fortunately, they were able to came as quick as a flash.

'What the hell's happened to you!' They gasped.

They sucked the bite in order to get the poison out and tied a scarf around my arm before taking me to the hospital. Luckily, the snake wasn't poisonous, but I had its bite as a memory of my adventurous spirit for a few weeks.

'Thank God we all arrived home safely and soundly! my parents sighed.

It had been the most surprising thing that had ever happened to them, and probably ever would.

María José Rodríguez  B2.2 

B1 - Writing - A Photo Description

FROM: Alex

TO: Silvia

SUBJECT: My photo description.

Hi Silvia,

How´s it going?

I thought you might be interested to hear about my dogs. Their names are Ajax and Sultán, the first one is black and white, we found him in the street where I live. I used to see him while I was parking my car and suddenly, one day, my mum called me to tell me something. She told me that Ajax was inside the house, so we decided to take care of him. The second doggy is Sultán, he is brown and black, we decided to adopt him from Loja animal shelter. He is two years old and he can do a lot of things, he is very intelligent; but sorry this is not the subject.

In the photo I appear with a blue shirt because I was going to a wedding, I´m looking at the camera and it looks like I don´t have long hair, but in fact, I have it. I was in my mum´s house, we live outside the city. Well, on my left you can also see a tree behind me; at the front I´m pointing to my dogs who are sleeping. Besides, on the right you can see a door through which you can get inside the house. There are stairs to go up.

This is my description of my photo, I hope you like it and my dogs too. =)

See you soon,

Alejandro.

Xoxoxo

.

Alejandro Gutiérrez Ruiz 3ºCAL BIS

A2 - Writing Emails

From: María Ascensión

To:  Angelica

Subject: Hi from Spain

Hi Angelica

My name’s María Ascensión but you can call me María. I’m from Jaén but I live in Loja with my husband and our child. I’m a 36-year-old mine engineer but I’m currently unemployed, so I’m studying English for my job training.

I’m going to tell you more about myself. I have dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes. I’m tall and slim. I look like my mother. People tell us we are like sisters.

I think I’m friendly and sociable, a bit nervous, with a sense of humour, dynamic and adventurous. I get on well with most people.

In my free time I like going for a walk with my family, practising exercise, meeting friends for a coffee or going shopping. I love travelling and being in touch with nature, reading and listening to music, too.

Please write soon and tell me about you.

Best wishes

María 

María Ascensión Moral Fernández  2º SEMI

From: mamen@eoi.es
To: manuelteacher@loja.com
Subject: My description

Hi Manuel,

My name is María del Carmen, but everyone calls me Mamen. I´m in 2^nd B, in your English class. I´m from Huétor-Tájar, Granada, and I live with my husband and my kids. One year ago, I lived in Málaga. When I was eighteen years old, I went to study in this town, and I met my husband, Sergio. We lived and worked there but, when we had kids, we decided to move to Huétor-Tájar. In this town, I have a lot of family to help us and it’s a very quiet place. At the moment, I’m working for my family at home but I´m studying to get a job. This is a difficult challenge for me because I don´t have much time to do that. If I can’t get it, I’ll work on my own as a social worker. This is another challenge, but I think I can achieve it.

Now, I´m going to describe my physical appearance. I´m tall and quite slim. I have straight brown hair and brown eyes. I’m quite strong because I´m training very hard for the physical exam.

I think I´m a fighting person. I see the good things in a problem and my family and me fight to solve it. We love the little things and we live them as a big opportunity. Every day’s a new challenge and we try to overcome it.

Nowadays, I practise swimming and go to the gym. I love sport and I´m happy when I do some. In a few months, I’ll live in another house, and in my free time, I clean and furnish it.

Thank you for your attention. See you soon.

Regards,                              

Mamen 


Mamen García Rodríguez 2º B 

B1 Writing - Bearded vultures and me

BEARDED VULTURES AND ME

Bearded Vulture is the name of the most famous cyclist race in Spain for non-professional cyclists. I´m not well-built or attractive, but thanks to the fact that I´m medium-height and thin, I have low weight. This helps me to ride my bike fast. I´m hard-working and I train hard every week. Cycling has taught me to have a healthy lifestyle and love the environment.

A few years ago, while I was training in the mountains, I knew about the really important bearded vulture. I saw a woman carrying a very big bird. I´m very curious, so I stopped my bike and the woman explained the rescue project for birds in risk of extinction. She asked me about doing voluntary work. The natural resources we´re losing now never ever will come back. For that reason, I accepted.

Helping makes me feel very well with myself. Happiness is doing the things you like, also if you are useful for people and the environment it’s much better.

Juan Manuel Campos Campos 3ºC

B1 Writing - About myself

About myself

I think it's very difficult to describe myself because at my age I still doubt about my traits; however, it’s good to reflect my feelings and concerns to continue learning.

As for my appearance, I’m a common woman, short and a bit heavyset; my hair is wavy and brown and my eyes are big, well, at least they used to be big.

About my personality I consider myself an honest person that people can trust and who enjoys making people laugh; also I can’t stand injustices and I’m suffering with them. I like reading and listening to music.

I would like to say that I love sport and I enjoy it, but is impossible to do it; I tell myself “I have to exercise” but…dreaming is wonderful.

Although I work very hard, I’m happier than before because I serve the public, in fact I do it well it and this is the reason why I feel good.

In conclusion I’m happy, what else can I ask for?

MARÍA JOSÉ GÁMIZ PUERTO,3ºB

Informal Emails

From: inmalopez@hotmail.uk.co

To: amysmith@hotmail.uk.co

Subject: Exchange program

Dear Amy,

Thanks for your last email. It was nice to hear from you again. I’m sure you’ve passed your exams with flying colours. I’ve done all my exams too and I’ve failed only math.

Great news about the exchange programme! I recommend you coming in August because in this month there are more activities to do.

Well, if you want to learn more Italian you should do as many activities with native people as possible. Why don’t we join any kind of club together? My sister goes to a dancing club and she said that it’s great fun.

By the way, I’m looking forward to going to England! As you know, I’m a big fan of Harry Potter so I’d love to do the Harry Potter London tour.   

That’s all for now, I have to go to my English lesson. Give my love to everyone.

Best wishes,

Inma.

Inmaculada López Gracia B2.1-C

FROM: m.jose@hotmail.com

TO: amy.smith@hotmail.com

SUBJECT: Exchange Programme

Dear Amy,

How are you? I hope you are well. By the way, congratulations on passing your exams. I´ve just finished my exams and I’ve passed all the subjects too. Now I am doing my housework.

Glad to hear that you can come to my country this summer. About your question I think July is the best month to visit Italy, I was wondering if you could visit me in this month because all my friends will be still here, however, in August they will be abroad.

Don´t worry about learning Italian, I`m sure you will be able to speak it in a few days. If you are interested in speaking Italian quickly, maybe you should sign up for a course at a language school, but I think that it isn´t necessary. Why don´t you practice with me online in the meanwhile?

On the other hand, when I’m back to England, I ´d like to visit London and particularly Portobello Road Market in Nothing Hill. I hope to do it!!!!!!!.

Anyway, I must go and get on with my chores.

Don`t forget to le me know the dates of the departure. See you soon.

Best wishes,

Mª José

María Jose García Ruíz

B2.1-B