Happy International Women's Day

Women around the world are marking International Women’s Day with protests for pay equity, reproductive rights and an end to sexual violence. In Spain, thousands of women have gone on strike today to defend gender-violence legislation against efforts by far-right politicians to repeal the landmark law. For more than a century people around the world have been marking 8 March as a special day for women. This video shows people's reactions after the installment of Fearless Girl in the Financial District of Manhattan(2017).

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is MLK Day. Watch the following video and take the quiz.
To learn about Martin Luther King's legacy and honor his work, please check the New York Times.

70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Thanks to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and States’ commitments to its principles, the dignity of millions has been uplifted, untold human suffering prevented and the foundations for a most just world have been laid. While its promise is yet to be fulfilled, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity.

To celebrate its 70th anniversary, the UN launched a one-year campaign that culminated today, December 10th. These are the key messages of the campaign:

• The UDHR empowers us all: It establishes the equal dignity and worth of every person. It confirms that the State has a core duty to promote standards of life that enable us to exercise our dignity and equality, in larger freedom.
• Human rights are relevant for all of us, every day. Human rights include our rights to freedom from fear and from want, freedom to speak up, rights to health and education; and to enjoy the benefits of measures to advance economic and social justice. 
• Ours is a shared humanity rooted in these universal values. We are inter-connected. These human rights that we have in common, solidarity with each other and fulfilment of human rights responsibilities are what bind us together on our shared planet. 
• Equality, justice and freedom prevent violence and sustain peace. Respect for human rights, and sound, impartial rule of law to resolve disputes are at the core of development and peace.
•  Whenever and wherever humanity's values are abandoned, we all are at greater risk. We are at a crossroads. Attacks on human rights by people who want to profit from hatred and exploitation erode freedom and equality locally and globally. This can be, must be, resisted. 
• We need to stand up for our rights and those of others. Each of us can stand up. We can take action in our own daily lives, to uphold the rights that protect us all and thereby promote the kinship of all human beings. 

The anniversary’s hashtag is #standup4humanrights. It builds on the UN Human Rights Stand Up campaign, which calls on people to take action for greater freedoms, stronger respect and more compassion for the rights of others. (Adapted from UNESCO)

How to stay motivated when learning a language

Watch Alex Rawling's video and share your ideas. How many of his tips on learning languages do you actually follow? Remember these ones: Don't give up and stay motivated!

More Listening Activities

You'll find tons of videos and activities here. I hope you find this page useful!

Comic Relief

Comic Relief, a UK charity, invested money in arms and tobacco shares. Watch the video and click here to access the handout with the listening activities and answers.

LISTENING PRACTICE: PRE-INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS (A2)

1. Free time: Listen to Tyrone calling the staff at his local swimming pool. To practice and improve your listening skills, do all the exercises (preparation, gap-filling, and true / false).

2. Going to the cinema: Listen to Mario and Tamara talking about what film they want to see and do the exercises to practice and improve your listening skills.

3. Extra practice. Click here to complete more listening activities. The answers are given in the key page. 

4. Lots of videos and audios for A2 students. Have fun!

Past Simple & Past Continuous

Watch the video to check the uses of the past continuous and the past simple.

If you need extra practice, click on the links and do the activities.
British Council
ESL Lounge
English Grammar
Oxford University Press

8 Things Everyone Needs to Know about Zombies

Listen to the program and answer the questions below.

Why is Ben Baughman, NPR producer, back to school?

Who is Jeffrey Mantz? How many students signed up for his class? Is this an easy class?

What do zombies have to do with the Caribbean?

What happened in 1968? What kind of transformation did zombies experiment back then?

How did Prof. Mantz’s students react differently when they watched “28 Days Later” and “Night of the Living Dead”?

In conclusion, what do zombies represent today?

Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman discuss their birth names

How Learning A Language Changed Our Lives

Watch this video and answer the questions:
1. What languages did Sadie, Ben and Shammi learn?
2. Why did they learn a second language? What impact did this have on their lives?

LISTENING PRACTICE: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH (B1)

Why do we laugh? 
(Source: English Central) 

1. Watch the video without subtitles and complete the following text.

Laughter is one of those rare and beautiful things shared by people all over Earth. A human experience that transcends borders of _____1 _____, _____2______, and lifestyle.

Researcher Robert Provine has found, after listening to _______3______ of people laugh in social situations, that less than one in five chuckles are in response to humor. When a ____4_______ is involved, the person telling it is usually the one laughing.

We're also ____5_______ times more likely to laugh with other people than if we're alone. If laughter is a form of communication, then what are we trying to say? 

2. Watch the video again, with subtitles in English, and check your answers. If you are not sure about the answers, you'll find them in the comment below.

3. Did you learn any new words? What do they mean? Please post your comments!

LISTENING PRACTICE: INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS (B1)

1. Amazing facts: Listen to the conversation about the human body. To improve your listening skills, do all the activities (preparation, multiple choice, gap-filling).

2. Difficult situations: Listen to the people discussing different problems and do the exercises to practice and improve your listening skills.

3. Important people: Listen to the speakers talking about important people in their lives and complete the activities.

First Impressions: 6 Minute English

Can we trust our first impressions? Scientist Alexander Todorov believes that very often our first impressions are wrong. Neil and Rob, from the BBC, take a second look and teach you six items of useful vocabulary in this episode of 6 Minute English. Listen to the program and complete the handout.

Listening websites with quizzes

If you need to improve your listening skills, you'll find free resources here (Blog de Cristina).