Wednesday 16 December 2020

The Kite Runner

 Hi Bookworms!

Thank you for a very stimulating meeting last Friday, it was great to meet you all! I really enjoyed discussing why shared reading matters and found very refreshing your predictions about The Kite Runnerthe first English-language fiction written about Afghanistan, by Khaled Hosseini, a former Afghan doctor who fled his native country in 1980, shortly after the outbreak of their civil war.

Here’s our calendar of virtual meetings for 2021.

 

BOOK 1

 

 

 The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini

January, 29

 

BOOK 2

 

 

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

March, 5

BOOK 3

 

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

 

April, 30

 

 

Remember that if you want to attend our next meeting, you need to sign up here. Participation is limited to the first 15 students who sign up.

Once you’ve signed up, go to https://eduxunta.webex.com/meet/alosada and you will have access to our meeting room.

Friday, January 29, at 7:00pm

Save the date!

I will soon upload some discussion questions that may guide your reading. Stay tuned!

Thursday 10 December 2020

Participate in our 5th Mini Saga Contest

Can you imagine a story in 50 words?

Participate in the 5th Mini Saga Contest of the EOI de Santiago de Compostela!!



Participation terms:
  • To enter, you must be a student at EOI Santiago de Compostela.
  • Write your mini saga in exactly 50 words in English (plus a title up to 15 words).
  • Send your text to the following email address: biblioteca.sar@eoisantiago.org no later than January 15th, 2021. Make sure you include your full name and the name of your group.
  • A maximum of 15 stories will be shorlisted and published here so that you can vote for your favourite.
  • Voting will be enabled until February 3rd and the winners will be announced on February 5th.
  • In the case of a tie, a panel of teachers will take the final decision.
  • EOI SANTIAGO retains the rights to publish your text online or in a printed compilation.
  •  Participation in this contest implies the acceptance of these terms.

Looking forward to reading your contributions!!

Tuesday 24 November 2020

Virtual Book Club: Informative meeting

With bars, concerts and other live events cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, more and more of us are turning to literature to pass the time. And what better excuse than a book for people to connect and interact?

Join our virtual book club for C1 and C2 students!


Participation is limited to the first 15 students who sign up. If you want to join the virtual meeting, sign up here.

Sign Up!

Once you've signed up, go to https://eduxunta.webex.com/meet/alosada and you will have access to our meeting room.

Our first meeting will take place on Friday, December 11 at 7:00pm

Save the date!

Friday 20 November 2020

COVID-19 rules 2020-21

Good news!

Our library will reopen on December 9. 

Please, follow the guidelines below for a safe return. Thank you in advance!





Monday 22 June 2020

Happy summer holidays!

Summer is here and that means the end of our activity for this academic year.  Thank you to all the students and teachers who have followed this blog and have taken part in the library events organised before and after the COVID 19 crisis.


We wish you all a safe and happy summer break and look forward to welcoming Sar Bookworms back in October.

Take care!

Friday 29 May 2020

Dance and poetry to commemorate International Dance Day


It's International Dance Day (IDD) today, hurray!

IDD is a global celebration of dance, created by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO.


Watch one of the most wonderful dance performances ever, Kazuo Ohno's sequence from The Written Face (1995), a perfect example of a visual poem!


Kazuo Ohno's fluent micromovements recall those of the birds we distantly hear as well as of the water he delicately touches, subtly integrating his body within the environment surrounding him. His feminine outfit, the twilight and the city outskirts... all contribute to create a fascinating sense of in-betweeness, questioning and expanding sex, time and space boundaries, which so rigidly construe our identies.
Just a brief comment on the song used "Amapola", a traditional Spanish tune, whose lyrics, together with the piano solo with which the video opens, contribute to create a feeling of solitude and melancholy: "¿dónde vas tan triste y sola?"

Long live dance!

Friday 22 May 2020

Thursday 30 April 2020

Virtual meeting to discuss TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Dear Bookworms,
As you know, the COVID-19 crisis has forced us to cancel the meeting scheduled for April, 17. The education authorities have made available the Webex technology, which enables us to hold virtual meetings, so we will be using it for our discussion of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.




If you want to join the meeting but don't have the book with you, there are many websites from which you can legally download the full text for free (here) or where you can read it online (here)
You may also want to listen to the author's only recorded interview about the novel:



Participation is limited to the first 12 students who sign up. If you want to join the virtual meeting, sign up here.
Once you've signed up, go to https://eduxunta.webex.com/meet/alosada and you will have access to our meeting room.
Friday, May 29, at 6:00pm
Save the date!
I will soon upload some discussion questions that may guide your reading. Stay tuned!

Thursday 23 April 2020

World Book Day

Hi Bookworms!
I hope this post finds you well.
It's World Book Day today and, apart from reading a book, I cannot think of a better way of celebrating this commemoration than by sharing your favourite book with us.
How can you do this? Very easy! Take part in "Cuéntanos", a multilingual initiative by the School of Languages of Pamplona.
The idea is to choose a story/novel/play/poem you like and record yourself reading its first lines. I've already done so!

Follow these steps:
1) Record yourself! Say who you are, where you study English and the title and the author of the book you've chosen.
2) Click this link
3) Click the green icon 


4) Log in to Flipggrid with a Gmail account
5) Upload your video
6) Enter a title, click share et voilà! It will be posted to the Grid. 

Looking forward to seeing your contributions.
Happy Book Day!


Wednesday 1 April 2020

7 lighthearted (and free) reads that will cheer you up during the quarantine

There are a lot of books about pandemics out there these days. Rather than serious stories about devastating events, we would like to recommend 7 light-hearted books that offer hope and especially humour. "Laughter is the best medicine" or so they say and although it is not a cure to Corona on its own, it can certainly cheer us up and take our mind off of quarantine.

Ready to start reading?



One of my favourite books ever, Jane Austen's novel is a true delight to read: sparkling, moving and wonderfully optimistic (and supremely English – in style, sensibility and wit :-)



One of Mark Twain's most compelling examples of satire, this short story tells us about a town that prides itself on its reputation for being "honest and upright" when in reality, the first time they are given the opportunity or temptation to do wrong, they don't miss it!

Oscar Wilde's text is a must read for anyone who loves irony and sarcasm. Its witty treatment of marital politics still stings today.


A comic gem by Jerome K Jerome about his boat trip along the Thames with his two friends Harris and George and their dog  Montmorency - crossing the absurdities and traditions of the late 19th c. England.





Magic realism at its best. Both funny and moving, García Marquez's novel will make you reflect on the inexorable march of time.



Described as "a masterclass in the weird art of unjoking the joke", Joseph Heller's novel is one of the weirdest and most hilarious texts I've ever read.



Not a book of fiction itself, Alberto Alonso's text is good fun. Download it here and find out about the English you don't know you know.



Wednesday 25 March 2020

Free books for your quarantine

Well-known publishing houses have announced that some of their works are now posted for free on their website! 

Here's a list of free books you can access online to enrich your mind and take away your Coronavirus worries.

Digital library Scribd is giving free 30-day access to its wide collection of eBooks and audiobooks.

Alberto Alonso's This Book Is The Meal
A book in Spanish about the English you don't know you know. Good Fun!

Paulo Coelho's novels are now posted for free on his blog.

Click here to access this online library with almost 60,000 free eBooks and educational materials.

Audible Stories
A collection of audible stories, including titles across six different languages. Mainly for kids though it also includes literary classics. Click here to learn how to use the site.

Lit2Go 
Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in mp3 format.

Open Culture
This site includes hundreds of free audiobooks in mp3!

OUP offers free access to Resources for students and teachers.

Cambridge University Press has made higher education textbooks free to access in HTML format

Over 20 publishers on Project Muse have decided to make their contents freely available.

Scholastic                                                
Do you have kids? The editors of Scholastic Classroom Magazines have also launched a collection of kid-friendly resources for learning about coronavirus.

Stay safe!

Saturday 21 March 2020

World Poetry Day

March 21 marks World Poetry Day (WPD)Created by UNESCO in 1999, WPD encourages us to return to the tradition of poetry readings and to place poetry within other literary genres such as novels, short stories and theatre plays. Poetry shouldn't be considered an outdated form of art, but "one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity". Poetry, in other words, has been one of the most powerful forms of expression to convey our most profound feelings and to inspire social change and progress.


To celebrate the greatness of poetry, watch this stimulating talk by Stephen Hurt on why we need poetry.

Poetry, you will see, has many great uses yet one that hasn't been mentioned by Stephen Hurt is its potential to help us perfect a skill that ESL learners find quite challenging: pronunciation. Carla Dechant, one of our English teachers, has very kindly shared with us a Crazy English Pronunciation Poem and some related activities that will help you practice the pronunciation of some of the most difficult spellings in English. Click here to download the worksheet.
Thanks a million, Carla!
Happy Poetry Day to all!

Wednesday 18 March 2020

#StayAtHome with To Kill A Mockingbird

Dear bookworms,
I hope this post finds you well.
As you all know, classes are cancelled for the next two weeks but that does not mean that your reading has to be put on hold. Quite the contrary, we hope that you spend this time reading in English, learning new things and, of course, taking care of yourselves.


Fourteen days can feel like a very long time when stuck in quarantine so why don't you give To Kill A Mockingbird a chance?
There are many websites from which you can legally download the full text for free (here) or where you can read it online (here)
You may also want to listen to the author's only recorded interview about the novel:


Our next book club meeting will probably have to be postponed but we'll figure out a way to share our reading of Harper Lee's novel!
Take care of yourselves!

Tuesday 10 March 2020

Mini sagas "Amigas": A creative writing project with students from EOI Pamplona

Good news!
We are taking part in "Escuelas Amigas" a very inspiring initiative of Laura Escribano, the head of studies of EOI Pamplona, aiming at fostering collaboration among Escuelas de Idiomas.
Our school is collaborating with an English teacher from EOI Pamplona, Carol Sáez,  and her C2 students in a creative writing project titled MINI SAGAS AMIGAS, whose end product can be found on this Padlet.

Hecho con Padlet

 Thanks for your amazing mini sagas!
The next step is to read the mini sagas written by Carol's students and vote for your favourite here


CORRUPTED PRINCIPLES
The road was slippy with rain. From his window he had a good view of the down hill road. He saw the rearless child on a bycicle approaching at higher speed than needed for such a steep downhill. His mouth watering in anticipation... his camera was ready!!

THE IMPORTANCE OF WEARING GLASSES
Overcrowded underground
-Keep away from me, please!
-What's the matter?
-You are a giant coronavirus, bad times for you!
-No, I'm not. I'm Li Kequiang... Your glasses are under your chin.
Sorry, I'll put them on... Nice to meet you, Mr Li Kequiang
- Likewise, Mr Trump.

CHANGES IN VISION
Schoolgrounds, cold and dangerous.
Pestie has arrived.
He looked specially green and yellowish. HE TOUCHED ME!!! I was scared, so I insulted him. Everybody laughed. He took my dad's tie from me - I could breath- Then, he gave me his glasses, I could finally see!
I WAS THE SICK ONE!

WILL YOU?
That day I felt really anxious because I was waiting for it and started thinking it was never going to happen.
My boyfriend got extrimely nervous. Suddenly, he reached out his hand holding a small box.
I opened it and was astonished by what I saw.!
VAT is not included!!!

BONDS OF INNOCENCE
Different cultures, separate ethnic groups. However, best friends at school.
No sooner did they grow than prejudices were meekly assumed. Years of distrust and misconceptions followed.
Then S has a pram.
Now, jump off the barriers.
Go, M, go!
An accomplice smile over the innocence stirred their lost friendship.

SPANISH PICARESQUE
During the Barcelona Olympics, next to the "Sagrada Familia", an Italian car had been fined for improper parking.
The Italian never understood why he had two identical fines at home when back from vacation.
A Spanish driver also parked imprperly and simply put the first Italian fine on his windshield.

SILENCE
He woke up surrounded by darkness.
Silence.
He had some battery left on the phone but no signal at all.
Midnight.
His chest was burning, his clothes were stained.
Blood.
He felt anxious and trapped.
"Let me out!"
A scream was heard from six feet under the ground.
Then, silence.

HOW "YOU CAN NEVER TELL A BOOK BY ITS COVER" HAS STILL THINGS TO SAY
The phone was almost running out of battery yet I wasn't able to find out what I was seeking. Amongst the photo philters something was missing, they didn't reflect what my heart was singing.
For though I close my eyes, all I see is la vie en rose.

GAME OF CROWNS
Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms witnessed the death of every single one of the candidates to sit on the Iron Throne.
But in the end, Queen Daenerys Targaryen was able to reach her goal, only to end up dead.
It was a pity that Coronavirus also got to her.

THE DENTIST
I needed to see a dentist. I saw her name and I remembered her. We were schoolmates.
With this physical appearence, she could not be the same appealing girl I remembered. When she finished, I told her she was in my classroom.
She asked me: What did you teach me?

PRIORITATION
The virus has been finally cornered. It has been an intense fight and even though it was not a landslide win, after 2 billion deaths this fatal disease has been completely eradicated.
The victims are mainly concentrated in Afruca and South America where the population was more vulnerable.
RIP Famine

WE ARE ALL NOISE ANIMALS. OR ARE WE?
First, the screeching tyres, then the breathtaking scream and finally the thump.
We heard the bones cracking and the body hitting the asphalt. And then again the engine roaring, the raging multitude dragging the driver through the window, the lynching...
And the end: the rope creaoking over the dog's corpse.

Voting will be enabled until March 22nd and the winners will be announced on March 24th. Thanks in advance!
Enjoy!

Saturday 29 February 2020

To Kill A Mockingbird

Dear Bookworms,

Thanks for a truly moving and thought-provoking discussion of A Thousand Splendid Suns, a beautiful, heartbreaking and haunting novel of indestructible love in times of unimaginable destruction.

I know some of you have read the book but couldn't come yesterday so here you can find a worksheet with some of the key aspects we addressed at the meeting.

Our next reading will be another unforgettable title, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird.


The meeting will be held on Friday, April 17th at 6:30pm in the library.
Hope to see you there!
Happy reading!