Post 6: ANIMALS AND PETS

Some people are animal lovers, others use and abuse them. Some people can't live without their pet animals, others raise animals to make a living .  I like pets, but I don´t like the idea of having animal hair all over my home.

 I got my first dog, which I still remember after all these years, when I was around six, and I was very fond of a dog we had when I was a teenager, but, even though I would like to have a dog now,  my flat is so small that there´s no room to swing a cat in it, -like they say, let alone a dog!

I absolutely disagree with animal mistreatment. I think animals can only be used for medical research as long as they are not hurt in any way, and it really upsets me to see what some scientists do to some defendless animals. With regard to keeping animals in zoos, I used to think that that was a reprehensible practice, however I’ve changed my mind now that I know that, in some cases, they have been saved from a certain death and would surely die if they were set free.

 People who have a dog should be responsible owners and take the necessary precautions so it won’t hurt another animal or person. I’ve been bitten by dogs twice and, -believe me, it wasn’t funny at all! The owners of these dogs should have been more careful and known that pets have to be well taught, the way children are.

According to the Chinese astrology I was born under the year of the dog, and if I had to be born again an animal I would probably choose a dog because they are loyal, friendly, intelligent and fun to be around. Do you know what animal you are according to the Chinese Zodiac?

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Today you have decided to write about animals, so here you have some questions to help you write your post.

Do you consider yourself an animal lover?
Did you use to have a pet when you were a kid?
Do you have a pet now? If so, tell us about it. If not, would you like to have one?
What animal do you think makes the best pet? Why?
Do you know someone who owns an unusual pet?

How do you feel about the use of animals for medical research?
Do you think it is right to keep wild animals in a zoo?
Do you think people should buy and wear fur coats?

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? (... or by a snake!!?)
Do you think dogs should be banned or muzzled?

If you could be an animal, what would you (choose to) be? Why?

KEEP IN MIND:

- Leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts
- The word count for this post is 170 words

SESSION 6 / WEB QUEST 1: LONDON

Continuous Assessment 2 is the first of two webquests we’ll have this term.

Instructions:

You are going to spend a week in London evaluating tourist locations for an end of year study trip.

Here is a list of things you want to do while you are there.  Follow the links and fill in the table.

Half Day Outings

London Eye

http://www.londoneye.com/

The British Museum

http://www.britishmuseum.org/

The Tower of London

http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/ (including Crown Jewels)

Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum

http://www.madametussauds.com/london/

The Natural History Museum

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

The Tate Modern Art Gallery

http://www.tate.org.uk/

Full day

Kew Gardens

http://www.kew.org/

Camden Market

http://www.camden-market.org/

London Tube Map: 

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf

For each location say:

What day you will visit,

How much you will have to pay to get in,

Which Tube station you will travel to (nearest to location), and the zone it is in.

What will you do on the other days? (2 full days / 4 half days / 1 full day / 2 half days)

Search the web for other things to do in London.

What is the total cost?

POST 5: A PHOTOGRAPH THAT I LIKE

Say Cheeeeeeese!

Taking photographs is one of my hobbies and I’m pretty good at it, or so they say. I started to take photos when I was in my twenties with an old analog Zenit camera that someone lent me, so by now I have around ten albums with old prints, plus the photos I have taken with my digital camera. I couldn’t afford a good camera when I was young because they were so expensive, but nowadays they are a lot cheaper. I have had five cameras so far, and the latest is a digital one which allows me to take as many pictures as I want to, so I’m very pleased with it.

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you have a camera? Do you collect printed photos? Are you a photolog freak?
This week you are expected to write about a photograph that you like. Make sure to include the following in your post:

·                     Who took it

·                     What it shows

·                     When it was taken

·                     Why you like it

Don't hesitate to include any other information you think is important.
Write at least 150 words.
Finally, add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs

Please, have a look at my sample post below.

Snap shooting around London.

I took this photo on my last trip to London, in July 2011, when I went to Camdem Town Market Place, which is a large market where you can find lots of things, such as handcraft, clothes, ethnic food, paintings, jewelry, rugs, antichs, -you name it-, therefore there are lots of things worth  a click.

This photo shows a very eclectic shop there, where, as you can see, they sell vintage clothes and  old pieces of furniture, along with some typical English pastries and beverages, and I took it while I was having a nice cup of tea.

I know that this is a rather simple photo, but I like it since it reminds me of the good time that I spent in that city and in that cafe, which is a very special place with a very pleasant atmosphere where they  play music from the 50s to the 70s, and where sometimes one of the owners plays beautiful tunes in the piano.

POST 4: FREE TOPIC: FILMS

THE MOVIES OF MY LIFE

Nothing compares with watching a good film. Although I don’t go to the cinema very often I rent or buy DVDs on  a weekly basis or I borrow them from my friends. The kind of films I like the most are dramas and good quality comedies, and one of the best ones I’ve seen this year is “A Chinese Story” (originally “Un cuento chino”), which is an Argentinian film that mixes both genres. Don't hesitate to see it.

One of my all-time favourite film is “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane”, a drama in which two ex-actress sisters live together in a decaying mansion. One of them, Blanche, is crippled for life and depends on the care of the other sister, Baby Jane, a cruel woman who is capable of doing anything to torment her… Two very famous actresses star in this film: Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, who is at her best here.  I really love this film because of Davis’s spectacular  performance and the excellent plot, which is very well unfolded. I have seen this film around three times and I would definitely watch it again, it’s a “must see” that I strongly reccomend to anybody who likes good quality films.

A film that I long to see again is “The Age of Innocence”. I don’t mean the American adaptation of Wharton’s 1920 novel of the same name, but a 1962 Mexican movie about a string puppeteer and an orphan little girl. I saw it when I was 6 and I will never forget the scenes with the puppets that turned me into a lover of piano classical music ever since.
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Hi everybody.
Once again you have chosen the topic for your post and you have decided to write about films.
In order to get started try answering some of the questions below to write an introductory paragraph, and then answer all the questions for the main body. Finally answer the last question to write your closing paragraph.
Introduction:
-How often do you go to the cinema or rent DVDs?
-What kind of films do you like?
-Who's your favourite film director?
-What's the last film that you saw?
-What's the best/worst film you have seen this year?

Main body:
-What is your all-time favourite film?
-What is it about?
-Who stars in it?
-Why do you like it?
-How many times have you seen it?
-Would you reccomend it?

Closing paragraph:
-Which film would you like to see again? Why?

KEEP IN MIND:

- Leave a comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts

- The word count for this post is 140 words