The Rainbow Theatre

One of the jobs we've had to do this quarter is a theatre in English. My incredible group and I chose "The Rainbow", I can't upload the video but I add the dialogues. We had a great time!

Some great books for us!!

Very Young Learners- Vanesa Reilly

• Provides ideas and advice for teachers who are asked to teach English to very young children (3-6 years).
• Offers a wide variety of activities such as games, songs, drama, stories, and art and craft, all of which follow sound educational principles.
• Includes numerous photocopiable pages.

All About Teaching English - Raquel Vanela

This collective work is produced by English Didactics teachers from several Spanish universities. This manual included the main aspects related to the Didactics of the English Language in Primary and Secondary Education, so it is very practical to use in the diploma of Teaching.

Inglés para el grado de magisterio de educación infantil: Aspectos básicos, propuestas y actividades.

Its aim is, on the one hand, to contribute to the recognition of the specificity of a foreign language, not only general, in the context of teaching. On the other hand, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen some basic aspects in the training of foreign language teachers, such as mastering the main phonetic characteristics of the language to be learned and taught. 

Australia

Australia 

Here are some of Australia's most important festivals

Flag of Australia

Australia Day is celebrated on 26 January, 

Australia Day commemorates Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 First Fleet ships to Sydney in 1788.

In the country's largest city, the date is commemorated with the boat parade near Sydney Harbour Bridge. 

The evening ends with everyone singing Advance Australia Fair (Australian national anthem) in front of the lighted and imposing Australian flag that flies in that bay.

The main celebrations, and also the most traditional, are Order of Australia and Australian of the year. Both celebrations are intended to honor a citizen who has achieved some honor for the country.

Anzac Day 

Is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served. It celebrates on 25 April.

Thousands of Australians travel to the beach on the Galipoli peninsula in Turkey to pay homage to those who defended their countries.

I put here some icons and the anthem whit the lyrics of Australia. I hope you like it!!

            

USA: Thaksgiving & 4th July

U.S.A

United States of America

Flag USA

Icons USA

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It precedes Black Friday

Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal. The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have

The origins of Thanksgiving date back to 1621 when a group of English pilgrims in present-day Massachusetts shared a feast with a tribe of Native Americans to celebrate a plentiful harvest.

On Thanksgiving, people in the US gather with their family and friends to eat, drink and watch American football. An estimated 50 million turkeys are devoured in the USA every Thanksgiving

Major cities also hold massive parades, complete with floats, brass bands and giant inflatable balloons. The most famous of parade is the Macy’s Day Parade in New York City.

Independence Day: 4th July

Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, marks the birth of America and the day the US secure independence from the British Empire Patriotic displays and family events are organized throughout the United States.

                         

Independence Day is a day of family celebrations with picnics and barbecues, showing a great deal of emphasis on the American tradition of political freedom. Activities associated with the day include watermelon or hotdog eating competitions and sporting events, such as baseball games, three-legged races, swimming activities and tug-of-war games.Fireworks are one of the most common ways to celebrate Independence Day, with displays often held in every major city

The White House puts on its own show on the South Lawn, while government officials also make speeches and take part in events. 

To conclude USA I put the anthem and the lyric. Enjoy it!

UK: Bonfire Night & Fool´s Day

United Kingdom  
Bonfire Night         

Flag of UK

On 5 November, people remember the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by celebrating ‘Bonfire Night’. All over Britain there are firework displays and bonfires with models of Guy Fawkes, which are burned on the fire. The Guy is made of old clothes and the clothes are filled with newspaper. The fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder that Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament. Some people have a small bonfire in their garden on 5 November, while in main towns and cities there are big bonfires and firework displays.

The biggest firework display is the Edenbridge Display in Kent. Edenbridge also has the biggest Guy: a nine-metre ‘celebrity’ model is burned there every year. 

Traditional Bonfire Night food is hot baked potatoes. They are cooked on the bonfire and filled with butter and cheese. There are also toffee apples (apples on a stick, covered in sweet toffee) and in the north of England they eat a special type of cake called parkin.      

Fool´s Day

April Fool’s Day is on 1 April. It’s the custom in the UK to play a trick or a joke on someone on this day. If the person falls for the joke, then they are called an ‘April Fool’. In fact, it’s only half a day because April Fool’s Day finishes at midday.

Some newspapers, magazines, and other published media report fake stories, which are usually explained the next day or below the news section in small letters.

To finish United Kingdom, I put the anthem with the lyric and some icons. Enjoy it!

              

IRELAND: Saint Patrick

IRELAND         

                      Flag of Ireland                             

One of Ireland's most important traditional festivals is celebrate on 17 March: Saint Patrick's Day, which commemorates the death of the country's patron saint. 

The celebration lasts four days. The city is dressed in green and the streets are flooded with music and dancing. One of the most important things is the thematic parade on the streets of Dublin. In it, carriages and costumes are the main characters.
If you are going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you can't stop wearing a green garment and wear a clover on your lapel.
The elf costume is another tradition, thought to bring luck and abundance.
Drinking and food are very important too. Lamb, potato bread, cabbage and lots of beer, which you can also get in green, are some of the foods you can't miss.

The shamrock (with three leaves) is the icon of Ireland and his story begins on Saint Patrick's Day, as he, trying to explain to the Celts that it was the Holy Trinity, saw a trebol on the ground and said that each leaf represented the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but that they were one.

To conclude with Ireland, this is their anthem. 

Festivals in English-Speaking Countries

   HALLOWEEN   

Halloween is one of the world`s oldest holidays, dating back to pagan times. But it is celebrated today by more people in more countries than ever before.

Spanish culture does not really know the origin of this festival, initially pagan and later religious, on the eve of All Saints' Day. Formerly, the end of summer was celebrated and difficult times began, that's why they went to other houses asking for food. Apart from the typical terrifying costumes that represent the undead that visit us between October 31 and November 1, there are more typical celebrations in these countries

Duck Apple
Introduce apples in a bucket with water and remove them with your mouth, without any help.
Trick or Treat
Children walk from house to house asking for candy on the condition that they do not cause any fright to the inhabitants of the houses, who usually decorate their houses for the occasion and are always willing to collaborate.

  CHRISTMAS  

The English-speaking countries begin this party at the beginning of November. During that month they begin their decorations with Christmas Trees, with Snowmen and with bulbs of different colors and shapes. All the streets are filled with color and joy.

One of the most important nights is the night of December 24, Christmas Eve, the children leave a sock for Santa Claus to give them gifts.

After the Christmas Eve night, comes The Cristmas Day, Christmas Day. On this day the whole families gather to eat, it is usually turkey or chicken, but before starting to eat, Crackers are traditional. Crackers are small cardboard tubes that usually leave messages of good luck inside and are wrapped in the shape of candy.

To end the day, it is traditional that the Christmas Cake dine at night.

After Christmas Day comes Saint Stephen's Day, also called The Boxing Day. It is a very special day as many families often make donations to families who do not have money and even give gifts to poor children.

For Spain, Christmas ends on January 6 with the Three Wise Men, but there, they do not believe in this party.

  The Easter  

It begins on Holy Thursday and lasts until Easter Monday

Something very characteristic is to send by mail cards to wish a Happy Easter Also, during the Easter there is a general cleaning in the houses, the so-called, Spring Cleaning, which prepares the house to receive the blessing of the parish priest and to begin a new stage with spring.

The Good Friday the Anglo-Saxons prepare for the great day of the resurrection of Christ, this preparation includes buying new clothes, cutting their hair, getting a manicure, etc.

The Easter Sunday usually goes to the Church with the family and after the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Later a traditional Easter Dinner (5pm) is celebrated at home where everything that has been avoided during the Lenten season is eaten.

Easter Eggs: Cooked eggs that are painted and decorated, using mostly pastel shades and motifs related to nature and spring. However, today, chocolate Easter eggs are the most popular and are usually given to children. Once we have painted the cooked eggs or bought some chocolate eggs, it's time to play!

   Easter Egg Hunt: The most widespread game (not only in English-speaking countries) is to look for eggs, previously hidden by parents.

  Easter Egg Roll: This game consists of rolling the egg downhill to the finish line without breaking.
Easter Bunny: He is in charge of bringing chocolates to children who have been good. It is tradition to leave a basket for the Easter Bunny to leave the candy for each child.

I add a video of several festivals in english speaking countries. I hope you like it!