RECYCLING PROJECT (PLASTIC BOTTLE COLLECTING)

Hello!!
We are back to school after two weeks off.
Students from second, fourth and sixth semester were still working on the Recycling English Project, Collecting Plastic Bottles. Here there is a picture about it.

After collecting the bottles from home, from the school, and also from their neighbourhood  streets.

They took all the plastic bottels to the Recylcing Deposit at Plaza Maya .

Thank you all, for participate and colaborate saving the world. One person can make the difference.

We will continue reporting the English Project advances.

The Route Puuc

I am glad to share with you the experiences  the students from Second semester A,B, and C had in the Puuc Route journey organized by History Teacher Patricia Hernández, supported by the Teacher Ana Luisa Mercado, Coordinator Cesar Plaza, and the Teacher David Ramírez .

First of all let me introduce what Puuc Route is.

An interesting tour that gives you an overview of the Mayan civilization awaits you just 50 miles south of Mérida, known as the Puuc (hilly) Route. Puuc is the Maya name given to a series of low-lying hills with a unique culture and style.

 On this route there are Mayan sites (Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, X-Lapak, Labna), the caves of Loltún, and larger Mayan city/town of Ticul.

   

The journey started at 5:00 A.M. on Friday. The students traveled by bus (two of them actually), and they arrived to the first stop (Loltún) at around 11:00 A.M. then they visited Sayil, Labná and Kabah sites.

The name in Maya means “Flower of Stone”. Evidence has been found of human settlements here from 400 to 7,000 years ago. The trail begins at the entrance to Nahkab or the beehive, where the famous bas-relief known as the “Warrior of Loltún” is found.

Visitors can admire many other formations with imaginative names: “The Cathedral,” “The Gallery of the Canyon,” “The Ear of Corn,” “The Stalactite Room,” etc. There's also the “Room of the Musical Columns” where huge stalactites produce different tones when they are struck.

Most of the students got exhausted because the weather conditions, it was too hot, and also because they walked all the way up to the different archeological sites.

Sayil

An extensive urban center, Sayil lived between 600 and 900 AD. The city is distributed in three zones: the first is the nucleus of the site and includes buildings for the elite society members. The second contains residences which were once inhabited by the ancestors, while the final zone stretches towards the outlying settlements of people who paid tribute to Sayil.
Sayil is roughly 33 km southeast of Uxmal along Highway 261.

Labná

A small but important city, this Mayan center reached its glory between 600 and 900 AD. It is famous around the world for its beautifully carved stone archway, one of a group of buildings scattered around a small valley. The most important of these buildings were “The Palace” and “The Mirador” (vantage point) which were connected by an ancient Mayan path.

Visiting times to these archaeological zones are daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This city is known as the second largest religious center in the Puuc style and flourished around the year 800 AD. 

The most remarkable construction, however, is the Palace of the Masks, with an impressive façade comprised of over 250 masks of the god Chaac, all finely cut from stone and positioned in a magnificent baroque-style extravagance.

After visiting those archeological sites the students were starving. So at around 6:00 o´clock they ate at at restaurant a typical Mayan food named Poc chuc.

They had to wait around two hours long to eat because they got confused and arrived to a different restaurant it was programmed.

Some f the students did not like the Poc chuc.

After the restaurant they check in at the hotel in Ticul. They  took a bath and were free of taking a walk around the town. They had to be back to their hotel rooms by 10:00 P.M.  It was so nice to meet Ticul.

Even when they had to be on bed by 10:00, some of them were awake chatting until 2:00 A.M, some others were having a sleepover.

On Saturday morning they got up at 6:00 A.M. At 7 :00 they had breakfast (the menu was diverse, it included Sopa de Lima, Cochinita Pibil and chicken in tomatoe sauce, as a dessert ice cream and flan) and they left left the hotel by 8:00 A.M.

Delicious Cochinita Pibil

They also visited Uxmal

Antropology and History Museum

                                                             

Original Mayan pieces, Mayan culture information. Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Location: Paseo de Montejo, ex-palacio Canton. Entrance fee: 14.00 pesos, free on Sunday.

Finally the teachers drive the students to the Park, in order to take photos for the report and also for buying some souvenirs; Candies, t-shirts and handicrafts were bought by the students.

In general terms, students said it was a nice and educational trip, because now, they know more about the Mayan culture and in addition the funny and cool moments they shared together all the way back to Playa del Carmen, singing and dancing on the bus.

They are all agree about having this kind of experiences again in the future.

Thanks to La Salle Playa del Carmen, which is worried about keeping the new young people generations involve with the Mayan Ancient culture.  

See you soon, may be in the following journey to the History.

happy birthday!!

This is just to let you know that last April the 6th was  Miss Marylin Rodriguez (Marylon) from 4th semester birthday!!!

Congratulations!!!!

4th semester new topic:Reported speech

Dear students 


I am sending you the Grammar Reported Speech Information Link in order to let you know the use and how to form Reported Speech.

http://www.athabascau.ca/courses/engl/155/support/direct_and_indirect_speech.htm

Please copy the in information in your notebook. And do not forget to leave your comments about this blog in the space below.


Have a nice weekend and God bless you!! 

T. Quiroz

P.S. Check the following videos and copy the information.

2nd semester Present Perfect Continouos Grammar

Dear second semester students

I'm sending you the grammar information about Present Perfect Progressive or Continuous. Please copy the information in your notebook for further refence.

I'm going to check your notebook tomorrow the value of copying the information is 5 points.

Thank you and have a nice day.

God bless you!!!

Present Perfect Continuous

FORM

[has/have + been + present participle]

Examples:

·       You have been waiting here for two hours.

·       Have you been waiting here for two hours?

·       You have not been waiting here for two hours.

Complete List of Present Perfect Continuous Forms

USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.

Examples:

·       They have been talking for the last hour.

·       She has been working at that company for three years.

·       What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?

·       James has been teaching at the university since June.

·       We have been waiting here for over two hours!

·       Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?

USE 2 Recently, Lately

You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.

Examples:

·       Recently, I have been feeling really tired.

·       She has been watching too much television lately.

·       Have you been exercising lately?

·       Mary has been feeling a little depressed.

·       Lisa has not been practicing her English.

·       What have you been doing?

IMPORTANT

Remember that the Present Perfect Continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." If you use the Present Perfect Continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.

Activities 4th semester

Dear students from Intermediate English 4th.

I am sending you the INDIRECT QUESTIONS ACTIVITIES LINK

http://menuaingles.blogspot.com/2009/07/que-son-las-indirect-questions.html

Please copy the Gramar information in the page about Indirect Questions in your Notebook

 And do the activities 1 and 2 at the bottom of the page on a sheet of paper.

God bless you!!

T. Quiroz

6th semester activities

Dear students


As I told you before there are two way of using the verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives. Remember In some cases both gerunds and infinitives can be used with the same verbs but they change the meaning and in some situations they don't change the meaning.


Here you are some examples of both uses:

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Similar Meaning)

can't bear	He can't bear being alone.	He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand	Nancy can't stand working the late shift.	Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
cease	The government ceased providing free health care.	The government ceased to provide free health care.
continue	She continued talking.	She continued to talk.
hate	He hates cleaning dishes.	He hates to clean dishes.
like	Samantha likes reading.	Samantha likes to read.
love	We love scuba diving.	We love to scuba dive.
neglect	He neglected doing his daily chores.	He neglected to do his daily chores.
prefer	He prefers eating at 7 PM.	He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
propose	Drew proposed paying for the trip.	Drew proposed to pay for the trip.

REMEMBER

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples:

·       The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.

·       The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.

·       I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.

·       I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.

Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Different Meaning)

begin	She began singing. She began to sing. When "begin" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	She is beginning to sing. When "begin" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used.
dread	She dreaded taking the test. Usually "dread" is followed by a gerund.	He dreaded to think of the consequences of his actions. "Dread" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "think" or "consider." In the sentence above, "dreaded to think" means "did not want to think."
forget	She forgot reading the book when she was a kid. When "forget" is used with a gerund, it means "to forget that you have done something." The sentence above means that she read the book when she was a kid, and that she has forgotten that fact.	She forgot to pay the rent this month. When forget is used with an infinitive, it means "to forget that you need to do something." The sentence above means that she forgot that she needed to pay the rent.
keep	She kept talking. "Keep" is normally used with a gerund to mean that you continue doing an action.	The attackers kept hostages to prevent the police from entering. "Keep" can also be used with an object followed by an infinitive, but then the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to... ." In the sentence above, the attackers kept hostages in order to prevent the police from entering.
need	The house needs cleaning. When "need" is used with a gerund, it takes on a passive meaning. The sentence above means "the house needs to be cleaned."	He needs to call his boss. He needs him to call his boss. "Need" is usually used with an infinitive or an object + an infinitive.
regret	I regretted being late to the interview. "Regret" is normally used with a gerund.	We regret to inform you that your position at the company is being eliminated. "Regret" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "to inform." In the sentence above, "We regret to inform you" means "We wish we did not have to tell you (bad news)."
remember	I remember mentioning the meeting yesterday. When "remember" is used with a gerund, it means "to remember that you have done something." The sentence above means that I mentioned the meeting, and that I remember the fact that I did that.	He remembered to turn off the lights before he left. When "remember" is used with an infinitive, it means "to remember that you need to do something." The sentence above means that he remembered that he needed to turn the lights off.
start	Marge started talking really fast. Marge started to talk really fast. When "start" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.	Marge is starting to talk really fast. When "start" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used. I started to learn Russian, but it was so much work that I finally quit the class. In other situations, an infinitive means that you did not complete or continue an action.
stop	He stopped smoking for health reasons. "Stop" is normally used with a gerund.	He stopped to rest for a few minutes. When "stop" is used with an infinitive, the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to." In the sentence above, he stopped in order to rest for a few minutes.
try	She can't find a job. She tried looking in the paper, but there was nothing. She tried asking friends and family, but nobody knew of anything. She also tried going shop to shop, but nobody was hiring. "Try + gerund" means to try or to experiment with different methods to see if something works. She tried eating the snake soup, but she didn't like it. "Try + gerund" is often used when you experiment with something, but you do not really like it or want to do it again.	She tried to climb the tree, but she couldn't even get off the ground. When you "try to do" something, you want to do it, but you do not succeed in actually doing it. In the sentence above, an infinitive is used because she cannot successfully climb the tree. Try not to wake the baby when you get up tomorrow at 5 AM. An infinitive is also used if you are asking someone to try something they may or may not be able to accomplish.

Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives

advise	I advised seeing a doctor.	I advised them to see a doctor.
allow	Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.	Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
encourage	He encourages eating healthy foods.	He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
permit	California doesn't permit fishing without a fishing license.	California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
require	The certificate requires completing two courses.	The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
urge	They urge recycling bottles and paper.	They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.