The Old Man and the Sea - Defeat as Victory

"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream". This is the simple beginning of the famous story which most kids have known at school. But in spite of its simplicity, this is the tale of life and death where an old fisherman struggles proudly against a big fish to regain his good reputation. Ernest Hemingway published The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. This delightful story has deep ideas about the difficulties in life and how to overcome them, and we can approach it by watching a wonderful animated video that won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film, together with some tests to get a good grip on this moving story.

The Melancholic Story of the Great Gatsby

In the summer we can enjoy the melancholic story of The Great Gatsby, the famous novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald which describes a romantic affair in the summer of 1922, during the Age of Jazz and alcohol Prohibition. It's a perfect story for young students, because the plot is full of insights into the lives of people in that time and into the human behaviours of all ages, and we can learn a lot about that. It reads well and it's a must-read for anyone interested in great contemporary literature; besides, we are lucky to be able to read it and listen to it online at esl-bits.net. And you may want to take some interactive tests that I have created for you to test your knowledge of this story and to look at it more deeply. You'll enjoy it.

La historia de don Quijote y Sancho Panza

Desocupado lector: quisiera que esta actividad educativa, como hija del entendimiento, fuera la más hermosa y la más instructiva que pudiera imaginarse. Pero ¿qué podrá engendrar el estéril y mal cultivado ingenio mío, sino unos pobres ejercicios sobre la historia de un hijo seco, avellanado, antojadizo y lleno de pensamientos varios y nunca imaginados de otro alguno? Solo quisiera dártela monda y desnuda, sin ornatos. Porque te sé decir que, aunque me costó algún trabajo componerla, es mayor el gozo de volver a dar vida, con la humildad que ha menester, al ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha y a su fiel escudero Sancho Panza, en honor de su insigne creador don Miguel de Cervantes. Vale.

The Tragedy of Hamlet

A scene of Hamlet, by Eugène Delacroix

Hamlet has always been the most influential of William Shakespeare's fictional characters. The Prince of Denmark is a human symbol of doubt and madness, but he is also the token of love. His love for Ophelia is the only positive feeling in this tragedy full of death and hatred. This play is a must for anyone who wants to understand human feelings in depth, and students can approach it by carrying out the following activity based on a 25-minute animated video with some original dialogues from the play in subtitles. The tragedy of these characters will show us powerful human passions, and will also teach us to be more humane and thoughtful - that is Shakespeare's goal and the ultimate meaning of Art and Literature in all times.

Six Shakespeare’s Sonnets

William Shakespeare is one of the greatest authors of humankind. In fact, his poems and plays are considered to be unequalled, since he managed to look into the human soul in order to reveal all the passions that are hidden inside us, good and bad. And most importantly, he did so with the mastery of a literary genius. William Shakespeare is a widely admired playwright, but he was mainly a poet in all his writings. In his time, poetry and drama were so linked together that all Shakespeare's plays are full of poetry, and he has always been considered the best poet in the English language. He wrote some books of poetry, but his Sonnets are celebrated as his finest poems.

Climate Change, the Earth in Danger

The world is in danger. Have you read the news? Have you noticed something wrong in your surroundings? Have you heard of extended droughts, melting ice, heat waves, deadly storms?  Have you seen any blooming almond trees in winter? No, it isn't a massive attack by creatures from other planets. It is a retaliation by Planet Earth in its own defence, because we attack Nature everyday and everywhere. Climate change is a warning that we are damaging our environment. We have to take control of the situation, but will we have time to put things right? It is now or never.

James Bond – Mission Accomplished

James Bond is an icon of western culture, and he has been the perfect secret agent for a long time. Writer Ian Fleming created James Bond in 1953, and his character has been a successful agent in all his missions since then. The novels and films that he has starred have accompanied our leisure time, and we have always had a great time with him. Now James Bond is going to check your skill in English verb tenses with some tests and stories. Verbs are actions, and James Bond is an expert in bold and difficult actions, as he shows us when he tries to catch spies and criminals all over the world.

Superman Helps You

We all know Superman, the hero of so many people. He is seventy-five years old now, but he is still young and muscular. He always helps people in danger, and so he wants to help you with your English. With this easy activity you can listen and write about our hero and you can do some exercises to be as fit and clever as Superman. Can you fly? Can you break walls? My students can, because they have done these exercises and they are stronger now. Let your imagination fly with Superman! Celebrate his 75th anniversary this year.

Los fantásticos libros voladores

Para celebrar el Día del Libro, Javier Escajedo, Ana Almarza y yo hemos escogido la fantástica historia de los libros voladores, un vídeo excepcional que analizamos a nuestra manera con actividades educativas. El amor a los libros nunca se ha expresado mejor que en este vídeo lleno de arte y encanto. Con los libros convivimos en su casa fantástica y disfrutamos imaginando el mundo como una gran biblioteca. Al final nos vemos transformados después de este viaje a la Imaginación, que vuelve a comenzar con el siguiente libro. No hay ningún placer como la lectura. Volad con esta historia y decidnos cuál es vuestro libro volador.

Past, Present and Future

This webquest is intended to help students to revise their knowledge of English verb tenses, but also to make them aware of the historical process. If we are to know who we are, we must know at least our recent past, get in touch with present concerns and foresee the future. It is a question of survival. The past is full of interesting events which reveal the essences of humankind. The present is a tangle of events, interests, ideas and worries that we should untwist to see what is really happening. And the future is always open to our hopes and our imagination in spite of the dangers we face today. Let's try to understand the world.