project Making Friends Laviana Toronto

Students from both countries learn about each other writing mails and sharing information about different topics. English and Spanish are used so all of them can practise, learn and help their partners to learn their language too. Here are some examples:

Hi Omar,

How are you? I’m fine, our March Break just ended so I’m kind of sad. March Break is a week long vacation from school; it’s definitely one of the best parts of the year!

Something very important about me is that I read a lot. I read so much that most of my friends give me books for my birthday. I am interested in all kinds of books. Novels, biographies, plays, it doesn’t matter to me, I’ll read them all!

My favorite type of books is fiction. Especially the realistic books where there are not really magic powers or talking animals but normal people. I like those books the most because they are so realistic sometimes it feels like they could really happen.

I read at least three books a week, sometimes more. There is a bookstore nearby where they let you sit in the store and read without buying the book. I always go there, in fact the people who work there recognize me now and always say hello and offer me their favorite books to read.

My favorite author is Markus Zusak. He is an Australian who started writing when he was only in high school. His most famous book (and one of my favorites) is called “The Book Thief.” It became a movie very recently. If it’s available in Spanish, I recommend it to you. It’s absolutely fantastic.

Though my favorite author is Markus Zusak, he did not write my favorite book. In fact George Orwell wrote it and its called “Animal Farm.” It’s about communism. I own a very old copy of it that has beautiful ink drawings in it. The drawings are kind of freaky though!

Do you read often, if so what kind of books, if not why not? Who is your favorite author and why? What is your favorite book, and why? Do you prefer movies or books, and why? Have you ever read a book you hated, if so what was it and why? What is your opinion on movies that were originally books? Who are some of Spain’s most famous authors, and why? What books are taught in your school’s curriculum and why? How quickly can you read a book? Does your family read a lot, if so do they talk about the books together after reading them, if not why don’t they read the same books? Do your friends read the same books as you, if not what kind f books do they read? Have you ever gone to a book-signing, if so where and for what author, if not would you like to?

Have an awesome day!

Kasia Yabar

Dear Aida,

Do you like watching TV shows and movies? In my spare time, I like to watch them, especially after a tiring day of school. I also like to watch them on my tablet device during a very long car ride.

I am currently subscribed to a provider called ‘Netflix’. By paying a few dollars per month, my family and I can watch an unlimited amount of shows and movies. The company was established in 1997 and is a very successful company. Currently, they have over 40 million subscribers. Netflix is available in many places around the world such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, South America, Mexico, and many more. Unfortunately, it is not available in Spain yet.

I like watching TV shows such as ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Breaking Bad’. The Big Bang Theory is a very funny show. It is about a group of four intelligent but socially challenged physicists and engineers whose neighbour is a pretty and socially smart waitress. Breaking Bad is about a high school chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with lung cancer. To support his family financially, he starts producing and selling a drug (methamphetamine) with his former chemistry class student.

I like watching movies of all genres. Recently, I watched several movies such as ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Unthinkable’, ‘The Next Three Days’, ‘Inside Man’, ‘World War Z’, and many more. Out of the movies I have watched recently, my favourite one is ‘Life of Pi’. I read the book a few years ago, but I watched the movie last month. The movie is about an Indian boy who gets stranded for 227 days in the Pacific Ocean with a dangerous Bengal tiger in a tiny lifeboat. I really liked the cinematography in the movie. The special effects, the acting, and the script were all good. The movie also has a surprise at the end, which makes you rethink the whole movie. I like watching movies like ‘Life of Pi’ that make you think.

I have watched three Spanish movies. They are ‘Un Cuento Chino’, ‘Gigantes de Valdés’, y ‘Anita’. Every year in Spanish class, we have a movie assignment, where we watch a movie and write an essay about it. My favourite one was ‘Un Cuento Chino’, because it was very funny but serious at the same time.

I like watching both movies and shows because movies can have a good story in only one or two hours, and shows can have a good, long story. If I had to choose one, I’d rather watch a movie than a TV show, because a movie can get a good concept across in an hour or two, whereas in a TV show, there are many small concepts spread out over several hours.

1. What are your top five favourite movies, and why?

2. What are your top five favourite TV shows, and why?

3. Who are your favourite actors and/or actresses?

4. What is your favourite movie genre, and why?

5. Do you prefer to watch movies or TV shows, and why?

6. What is the most recent movie you watched? What is it about?

7. What TV show are you following right now? If you’re not, why not?

8. What American movies and/or TV shows have you watched? If you haven’t, which ones have you heard of?

9. How often do you watch movies? Do you watch them on special occasions?

10. Which actor/actress celebrity have you met in real life? If you haven’t, which one would you like to meet?

From,

David

Hey Diego!

How are you?

Today I’m going to talk about summer. I love summer a lot. There are so many things to do. Also, summer is just different from all the other seasons. First of all, there’s no school, so I can do whatever I want without having to worry about homework and projects. This summer, I’m planning on volunteering at a hospital called SickKids in July. It’s a hospital only for children. I’m also planning on spending a month reading textbooks for a few of my grade 12 courses so I can get ahead and have good marks for the upcoming year. It sounds nerdy, but it’s the best way to accomplish my goals. However, I don’t plan to spend all my time studying. There are many options here in Toronto for when you want something to do in the summer. There are parks and movies where you can just hang out with friends. There’s a beach called “Lake Ontario”, but not everyone goes there because it’s cold and not exactly clean. I like summer because there are different foods too. Farmer’s market comes around and they have fresh food from their farms. Summer is also a good time to eat lots of ice cream! When I lived in Jamaica I used to go to the beach a lot, but now, there’s not really any beach to go to. I would love to go on vacation in Hawaii, but I don’t have time this summer. Maybe next summer.

Talk to you soon,

Nina

1. What are your plans for the summer?

2. What do you eat differently in the summer than in winter?

3. Where in your city do you go in the summer?

4. Does it snow a lot in Spain in the winter? What is the temperature difference between summer and winter?

5. Do people in Spain go on vacation a lot in general? Where to?

6. Do you have a summer job? If yes, what is it? If no, why not, and what kind of job would you want?

7. Do you see a lot of tourists in Spain? What places do you see them at most?

8. Do you prefer summer or winter? Why?

9. Where do you want to go for vacation and why?

10. What is something you did more as a child in the summer compared to now?

March 17th 2014

Dear Celia,

I have just come back home after a fantastic vacation with my family to our cottage. 5 days of my vacation to my cottage I skied with my brother and sister (our ski hill is small but it’s good practice). The rest of the stay at my cottage I snow-shoed and cross country skied. I have enjoyed every winter sport that I have tried and that is why I loved watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi this year.

My favorite event in the Winter Olympics was Men’s Hockey. Canada won gold this year in a game against Sweden which started at 7 in the morning in Toronto. My brother and I woke up at 6:30 in the morning to watch the game together and cheered so loudly that it woke up both my parents and my sister. We won the game 3-0. Although, the most difficult game that Canada played was in the semi-finals against the United States. We won the game 1-0.

Another one of my Olympic sports is Luge. This year at the Olympics Canada won silver and bronze in Luge. This sport is fantastic because of the speed that the Olympians travel at. At full speed the Olympians can travel at over 80 miles per hour. Last year, I met one of Canada’s Olympic Luge team members. She was inspirational.

Now that the regular Olympics are over I have started watching the Paralympics. Yesterday, Canada lost the gold medal game against the United States. The game was pretty close but the US won 2-0 and scored both their gold medals in the last 10 minutes of the game. There are still 2 more days left of the Paralympics and Canada is in 3^rd place for medals. I don’t think they will be able to surpass the US or Russia but it is still very impressive!

I can’t wait for the next Olympic Games.

Eric

1. What is your favorite sport? Do you play it often?

2. Do you enjoy watching the Winter Olympics? Why?

3. What is your favorite Winter Olympic sport? Why?

4. What is your favorite Summer Olympic sport? Why?

5. Are the Summer Olympics more important than the Winter Olympics in Spain?

6. Who is your favorite athlete? Why?

7. Which Winter Olympic Sport would you most like to learn? Why?

8. Is anyone in your family involved in sports? Why/why not?

9. Would you want Spain to host the Olympic Games? Why?

10. Do you think that you would enjoy skiing? Why?

Hi Claudia,

How are you? I hope everything is going well.

Something I really enjoy doing and am really passionate about is travelling. I have traveled to many different places and every place I experience lots of new things that I don't get to do at home.

The places I have traveled over my life are the USA (lots of different cities), Spain, England, Portugal, Cuba and different cities in Canada. The most recent place I have traveled is New York City over the week we get off from school. My family and I traveled to the city by plane, however we have driven to New York before. In the city we did a lot of walking and went to tourist sites like the Brooklyn Bridge and the new world trade center. I also shopped along Fifth Avenue which is a very high end shopping street, as well as soho, which is filled with boutiques and a lot of really nice stores. I really like traveling to New York because there is so much to do, and it’s really easy to get around. As well, there is a lot of variety in what you can eat, what you can buy and where you can go. There is always something you can do there.

The Past I traveled quite a lot. With my friend Georgia and her family, we went to London, England and Sant Pol De Mar, Spain and also went into Barcelona. First we went to London and stayed with my friend’s family’s friends. Their house we stayed in was really nice and the people we stayed with had to young sons who were really cute. We were only there for about four days, and every day we traveled around London seeing different things. We went to Westminster Abbey, which was where the Royal couple, Kate and William, got married. We also passed Big Ben (the big clock), and the London Eye (the largest Ferris Wheel). A lot of the time though, my friend Georgia and I would just walk around and take everything in. We spent a lot of time in Covent Gardens, which is a section of shops and restaurants all in a little square. There are also a lot of street performers in Covent Gardens and they’re always fun to see. After London we made our way to Spain. We rented an apartment right on the beach and the view was amazing. We were there a little over a week and spent most of our time on the beach, but we traveled into Barcelona twice. One of our days in Barcelona we ate lunch at a restaurant called Dos Palillos. It is a Japanese Spanish fusion tapas restaurant. It was probably some of the best food I have ever had. My favorite thing I had there were the dumplings and the deep fried cherry tomatoes. I really enjoyed Barcelona but I also really liked relaxing on the beach In Sant Pol de Mar.

Also this past summer, with my family, I traveled to Lisbon, a small town called Evora, and Lagos, which is on the beach. It was probably one of the best trips I have ever been on. I saw so many different attractions like an old church where the inside was made out of bones, a tower on the coast of Lisbon that outlooks the city, and a huge old castle just outside of Lisbon that was huge and colorful and very beautiful. That was the first week of our trip, and the second week we spent our time on the beach relaxing. The resort we stayed at had a lot of pools and was a minute away from a huge beach with bright blue water. The weather was so nice and it was a great trip overall. I would really recommend going to Portugal.

Questions?

¿Dónde has viajado?

¿Dónde te gustaría viajar?

¿Qué te gusta hacer cuando viaja?

¿Cómo viaja? (plano, carro, ect.)

¿Cuándo te vas de vacaciones?

¿Dónde no quieres viajar y por qué?

¿Prefiere unas vacaciones en caliente o en frío y por qué?

¿Con quien viajas? (familia, amigos)

¿Cuál es tu actividad favorita cuando viaja?

¿Qué es lo que te gusta comer cuando viajas?

Hola Roksana,

How are you? I have been pretty good, and I hope you have been good as well. I thought I would share something with you that I personally really love. I love to travel. I think traveling is most amazing thing in the world. You get to see so many different places, and experience so many different cultures. I have been fortunate enough to have been given opportunities to travel to many different places. I have been to many places within Canada, many different states in the United States, Mexico, Bahamas, Germany and Poland. Each place was very different and was special in a unique way.

Something I find very interesting that within Canada is, you do not have to leave the country to view different landscapes. As you know, I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto is a big city. It is filled with very tall buildings, but also has very nice parks and beaches. Ontario in general has a lot of forests. It has very good cottage country areas in the northern part of the province, which means it has a lot of forest and lakes and people vacation there in the summer. When you travel west of Ontario, you enter the prairies. The prairies are very flat and it is very dry. Although there are cities in the Prairie Provinces, the vast majority of these areas are farms. Once you get through the Prairie Provinces, you travel through Alberta. Alberta has the “badlands” which is an area where dinosaurs once roamed and very unusual rock formations. Alberta and British Colombia have the Rocky Mountains. Going east from Ontario, there are the Maritime Provinces. These are mostly coastal fishing areas. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled and to have experienced to all these different places within Canada.

The United States is very similar in the sense that it is a vast land with different landscapes. I have been to Arizona which is mostly desert. I have also been to Montana, which is known for ranches but also has mountains and natural glaciers. I have been to Chicago and New York City, which are large cities similar to Toronto. I used to travel to Arizona every year because of its hot and dry climate. My family would go for March Break. It is one of my favourite places to travel to.

As we have cold and snowy winters, it’s nice to escape to warm, tropical places. I have been to Cancun, Mexico and Nassau, Bahamas. These places were so beautiful. The beaches were made of white sand and the water is crystal blue. It is very different from cold, snowy Canada.

As we have friends and family overseas, I have been lucky enough to travel to a few places in Germany and Poland. The culture was very different than in Canada and the cities were very different than here. The European cities were much older and historic whereas Toronto is a much newer city.

What different types of landscapes are there in Spain? Have you traveled a lot? If so, where have you traveled too? What was your favourite place to travel too and why? What different cultures have you experienced? Does your family like to travel outside of Spain, if so what place to you go to most frequently? If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why? Do you prefer to travel to cities, mountains or tropical places? What is your favourite place to visit within Spain? Why is that your favourite place within Spain? Do you travel often on school holidays, if so where to?

No celebramos el carnaval en Canadá. Tenemos una celebración llamada panqueque Martes. Este año panqueque Martes fue el 4 de marzo. En panqueque Martes comes panqueques. es una celebración británico y es muy popular en Inglaterra. Es el día antes de la Cuaresma. No te vistes especial para panqueques Martes. El tiempo en panqueque Martes es muy frío, porque es a principios de marzo. No es una celebración importante en Canada.

Me gusta mucho el blog. Me gusta ver todas las fotos. Es una forma interesante de interactuar con los estudiantes en España. Me gustan mucho los colores y creo que es una muy buena idea.

Adiós

Gillian

Hello Marta! El 18 de Marzo

I hope you are well! This letter I was hoping to talk about my favourite sport, soccer. Soccer is the world’s most popular sport; it is played in over 200 countries around the world. I am sure you have heard of it, as it is fairly popular in Europe. I play soccer with my friends. My position on the soccer team is midfield. I like soccer because it is a very free sport. I love running on the fresh grass and I love the feeling of wind in my hair. On a soccer pitch, there are 11 players at a time. One of the eleven players is the goalie, who protects the net, and is the only player allowed to touch the ball. The other players are spread across the field, the objective to score a goal on the other net. The ball is a spherical soft object that is hollow on the inside.

Both Toronto and Canada have a soccer team that competes on a regular basis. Our Toronto soccer team is called Toronto Football Club; I often go to game with my dad and watch TFC compete. My favourite player on the team is Defoe; he is a new player, originally from England. The captain of the team is Caldwell; he is a defender also from England.

This summer is the FIFA World Cup, a national soccer competition where countries all over the world compete for a champion title. The world cup on happens every 4 years. The first international soccer match was in 1872 in Glasglow between Scotland and England. The first men’s football tournament was in 1930 in Uruguay. Since Canada does not usually compete in the World Cup, I usually cheer for Italy or England. I cheer for England because I used to like there. I cheer for Italy because I love the country. Both teams have an excellent soccer team but have not won for a few years.

What is your favourite soccer team? Who do you watch soccer games with? If you don’t, what sports do you watch? Do you find soccer interesting, why? What is your favourite thing about watching the world cup, and if you don’t watch it, why? Which team do you think will win the world cup this year? If you were able to go to the world cup would you want to and why? Who are the most famous Spanish soccer players? How many people go to games in Spain? Is there a women’s soccer team in Spain and if so what are they called? Do you play soccer and what position do you play? If you don’t what sports do you play? Why do you think they the game is called soccer here but football everywhere but North America?

Hasta la Vista,

Elllis Kelly

Hi Sergio!

How are you doing? I hope you are well. In this letter I’m going to talk about music.

Music is an art form performed through sound, and is composed of several elements such as the pitch of the notes, the rhythm, the dynamic (the volume/loudness) and the sound quality. This form of art has been around for thousands of years, and it has evolved drastically over the millenniums. The first musical instrument discovered by man-kind was the human voice which makes a large range of sounds like singing, speaking and coughing. The second instrument is percussions. Our ancestor discovered that by clapping our hands, stomping our feet and hitting objects with another can create sounds and rhythms. The third instrument is the flute, which looked like a hollow tube with a hole for blowing air and several other holes that can be covered with our fingers.

The discovery of these prehistorical instruments allowed us to create many different instruments such as the violin, cello, piano, clarinet, trumpet and drum. Many people I know play an instrument or sings, because of their love for music. I personally play a descendent of one of the prehistorical instrument: the concert flute. The flute family is very diverse; most western flutes are made from metal, while the flutes of oriental ancestry are made from wood, such as bamboo, and are simpler looking. Due to the material difference, the sounds they produce are distinctively different from each other. However, the tone produced by both the metallic flute and the wooden flute are sweet sounding to the human ear.

There are many different genres of music now like hip-hop, jazz, country, rock, pop and rap; there are also many ancient genres that are still popular today such as classical, opera and chamber music. I like country and pop music the best. I like pop music because they have catchy tunes and are mostly upbeat. Country music is very relaxing and it has a nice melody to it. It also helps me concentrate on my work, so I listen to it a lot while I do homework. In addition, I also like classical music that are soft and sweet sounding, I often play them while working as well.

Questions:

1. Do you play an instrument, which instrument? If you don’t play an instrument, what instrument do you want to play?

2. Can you guess what the smallest member of the flute family is?

3. Do you know anyone who plays an instrument or sings? Who?

4. What do you like or dislike about music?

5. Who is your favorite band or singer?

6. Which genre of music do you like? Why?

7. Have you gone to concert? What was it like? If not, do you want to go to a concert?

8. Are you involved with the music programs at your school? Why or why not?

9. How often do you listen to music?

10. Can you name a few famous, current musicians from Spain? Do you like their music?

----Adios, Lily.

Hi Aida!

Basketball is one of the most popular and most-watched sports in the world. It is cool how we both have the same favorite sport but we live across the world from each other. I wonder if basketball in Spain is different than basketball in Canada. I want to tell you about basketball, specifically what it is like for me here in Toronto.

In December of 1891, a Canadian, named James Naismith, invented basketball. James Naismith started playing the game by shooting a ball into a peach basket, with no base, that was suspended on a high wall. In 1906, metal hoops with backboards replaced the peach baskets. The five primary skills needed to play basketball are: passing, shooting, dribbling, rebounding, and blocking. There are five positions in basketball: the point guard, the shooting guard, the small forward, the power forward, and the center. There are two main defensive strategies: a zone defense and a man-to-man defense. In a zone defense, each player defends a specific area on the court. In a man-to-man defense, each player defends a specific opponent. Higher levels of basketball usually only play man-to-man defense.

In North America, the majority of basketball fans watch the NBA, which stands for the National Basketball Association. My favorite player in the NBA is Stephen Curry, a 6 ft 3 in shooting guard who is the star player on the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is only 26 years old and his salary is 4 million dollars. Stephen Curry is known for his exceptional shooting skills. I really look up to Stephen Curry because we play the same position and he plays the game with a lot of heart and hustle.

My favorite team in the NBA will always be the Toronto Raptors because I live in Toronto so they are my home team. This season, The Toronto Raptors are the leading team in the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The Toronto Raptors team was created in 1995. The Toronto Raptors plays their games at the Air Canada Centre, which is a stadium in the downtown area of Toronto. The team colours are red and black. The Toronto Raptors have never won a league championship. However, this season, the Toronto Raptors have won 34 games and have only lost 26 games. The Toronto Raptors are headed to the playoffs later this year as they are 3^rdin the Eastern Conference and the top 8 teams in each Conference make it to the playoffs. My five favorite players on the Toronto Raptors are Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, Terrance Ross, Patrick Patterson, and Amir Johnson. I love going to Toronto Raptors games with my dad since we both have a passion for basketball and the team. The city of Toronto really comes together to cheer on our home team.

MIS PREGUNTAS:

1. From what I described, in my above paragraph, about basketball in Toronto, how is basketball different in Laviana than in Toronto?

2. Which of the five primary skills of basketball (passing, shooting, dribbling, rebounding, and blocking) are you best at? Is there one that you practice more than the other?

3. What position do you play and do you like playing that position? If not, which position would you rather play?

4. Does your team play a zone defense or a man-to-man defense? Do you prefer one defensive strategy to the other and why?

5. Do you ever watch the NBA or the Toronto Raptors? If yes, who is your favorite team? If not, what professional league do you watch in Laviana and who is your favorite team to watch?

6. Where does the professional team play? Do you ever attend any games?

7. Have you ever watched any of Stephen Curry’s games? If yes, what did you think? If not, name and describe the professional player that you like to watch.

8. What is the most popular sport in Laviana, Spain? If it is not basketball, do you play the sport and do you enjoy it?

9. Do you prefer watching basketball or playing basketball? Why?

10. How did you learn how to play basketball? Would you want to play basketball professionally? Explain your opinion.

Hola Celia,

In the English language, there is truly only one writer who can be said to have an almost universal influence. I don’t know if this writer is as well-known in other cultures as he is in ours, but I imagine he is at least recognizable by name. There is a good chance you may have heard of him. His name is William Shakespeare.

We know a bit about William Shakespeare, such as the fact that he lived in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, however lots of questions still surround his life. Academics have questioned everything from his appearance to his sexuality, some even going so far as to question whether other people were the true authors of his works. Over the course of his life, he wrote countless poems and numerous plays, most of which have withstood the test of time. Early on, he mostly wrote comedies, such as Twelfth Nightand A Midsummer’s Night Dream, but later in his life he moved on to tragedies, such as Macbeth and Hamlet, and romances, such as Romeo and Juliet. These plays investigate themes such as the concept of fate versus free will, the value of loyalty versus ambition, and the nature of humanity, among other things. Despite the lengthy history of his works, these themes ensure that Shakespeare’s writings are still examined in schools today.

Many students dislike to analyze Shakespeare, claiming that much of the language and grammar is too outdated, but I, personally, enjoy reading his plays because the language is so rich and the themes portrayed are both timeless and universal. Nevertheless, I do sometimes wish that a wider variety of literature was analyzed, instead of such an intense focus on classic, historical literature that is at times hard to understand or irrelevant. The most painful part of studying Shakespeare, however, is the inevitable performance of a scene that every student must complete for marks. In theory, I understand why it is done and how it adds to our learning, however I do think there are lots of alternatives that accomplish the same goals that have not been considered. For people like me, who have trouble presenting our own thoughts to the class, let alone portraying a different person entirely, the consideration of these alternatives could improve, not just our marks, but our actual understanding as well.

Some alternative evaluations I can think of include an assignment where a student can choose to either perform and analyze the scene, or simply explain how they would have performed a scene and then analyze it. I think this particular alternative would be ideal, because then those who look forward to acting can do so, but those who are uncomfortable doing so can still demonstrate the necessary skills. In addition, a different alternative could be that each student must only analyze the play, and performing a scene would count for extra credit. The benefit of this alternative is that often the students who struggle with writing are the ones who excel at and enjoy performing; with this alternative, those students could easily improve their marks while also demonstrating to the teacher their initiative and effort. The student would no longer have to worry if the teacher thought they were struggling with writing just because they weren’t putting in effort, because their effort would have been demonstrated.

Did you know who Shakespeare was before you read my letter? If so, how? What writers (or what other writers) do you study in school? Why? Do you enjoy studying them? Why or why not? What is your favourite play, written by Shakespeare or otherwise? What themes does it examine? What types of evaluations do you dread completing in school? Why do you dread them? What strategies do you have for coping with them? What would you change about them?

Para responder a tus preguntas sobre Carnival, yo no celebro el festival, entonces no sé las respuestas de muchas de las preguntas. Pero, yo sé que unas personas en Toronto celebran el festival. Yo no sé la fecha del festival, pero si hay cerca de ahora, el tiempo es usualmente frío y húmedo. El festival de Carnival no es importante para mí, pero es probablemente importante para otras. Yo sé que Carnival es importante en Brazil. Para Notting Hill, yo no sé nada más de la información tú dijiste. Yo no hago nada especial para Carnival, y no llego nada especial tampoco. Pero, yo estoy curiosa, ¿qué es un frixeulo?

Hasta luego,

Tess C-W

Hey Thalia!

How are you? I hope you are doing fine. I am doing fine. In my letter I am going to talk about one of my favourite television shows called 'Teen Wolf'. Have you ever seen or heard about the show? If yes, what do you think about it and if now why not? The television show, 'Teen Wolf' is about a teenage boy named Scott McCall who turns into a ware wolf after getting bitten by one himself in the forrest one night. Scott McCall's life changes as he discovers and experiences new things. When his mother discovers that her son is a ware wolf she was terrified but has learned to accept it. This show is very interesting, intense, mysterious, and funny. What is your favourite television show and why? What is your favourite show about? Do you have any shows about supernatural creatures such as ware wolfs, vampires or witches in Spain? If yes what are they called and if no, then have you ever watched a show about a supernatural creature? What is it called?

Teen Wolf was released on June 5th, 2011 and is now going to be on it's fourth season. As of now there are 49 episodes. The creator of the shows name is Jeff Davis. The main actors in the show include Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien, Crystal Reed, Tyler Hoechlin and Holland Roden. Who are some of your favourite actors or actresses and why? Do you have any favourite Canadian or American actors or actresses, if yes then who are they and why are they your favourite? Maybe you have heard about Tyler Posey, he is hispanic and was in an American movie with Jennifer Lopez called Maid in Manhattan. My favourite character in Teen Wolf is played by Dylan O'Brien. In the show his name is Stiles which is short for his last name Stilinsky. I love all the characters on the show but I would say that he is my favourite because he helps keeps the show funny with his sense of humour. But I also like him because he is very attractive. I am very upset because one of the characters,named Allison, in the last episode that I just watched died due to a mythological creature stabbing her. This may sound a little confusing but trust me, the show is very good and you should check it out!

Hi Marta,

How are you? I am shocked that it is almost April, and I am glad that I had the chance to write to someone in Spain, even if it was for school.

As you probably remember, the Winter Olympics in Sochi just happened recently in February, and despite all the controversy around the quality of the facilities and the anti-gay laws, I enjoyed watching them at home. Even though the Olympics was supposed to be a sporting event for amateurs, they are still a great way to see the best athletes in the world to come together and compete for their country over the span of two weeks.

In our school, our technology allowed us to follow our favourite sports between classes, during the lunch break, and whenever else we wanted to. When an important event was on, like the hockey game between Canada and the United States, classes were practically all interrupted as everyone turned on their phones and laptops to check the live broadcast and scores. It united the students and the teachers in their mutual support of the Canadian athletes.

Did you know that the first Winter Olympics were held in 1924? These Olympics were held in France, in the town of Chamonix. There were 5 different sports that were further split up into 16 different events. Now, the amount of different sports at the Winter Olympics has increased dramatically, but the concept is the same.

Since its debut in 1924, the Winter Olympics have only ever been hosted by eleven different countries. Of these, the United States has hosted them four times, more than any other country. It is also the only country to win a gold medal at every Winter Olympics. Other interesting facts are that only eleven other countries (other than the United States) have sent athletes to every Winter Olympics, and only five other countries have won a medal at every Winter Olympics.

My favourite sport in the Winter Olympics is alpine skiing. I ski with my family all the time, so I know how much the athletes train and how hard it is to go as fast as they do. I have been skiing since I was 4 years old, and am very experienced. It is my favourite sport, and because of the skiing season, winter is also my favourite season. On top of skiing, I also like hockey and speed skating. They are fast and very interesting to watch.

I’m not happy that the next Winter Olympics are happen in South Korea four years from now. Since they were in Sochi this year, many of the events happened overnight, and we weren’t able to watch them. Instead, we relied on the daily reviews that happened after each day. Now that they are happening in Korea, the time difference is even bigger, and we’ll be lucky to see any of the events. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing anybody can do but let it happen.

Did you watch the Winter Olympics this year? If not, why? If you did, which sports were your favourite? Do you prefer the Winter Olympics or the Summer Olympics? Why? If you could compete in the Olympics, which sport would you compete in? Why? How do you support your country during the Olympics? How popular are the Olympics in your city?

See you later,

Daniel

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Hola Aida,

No tenía que ir a la escuela para una semana, porque eran mis vacaciones de marzo. En el primer fin de semana, jugué en un concierto con mi banda saxofón. Mi profesor de saxofón hizo la banda con sus estudiantes. La banda tiene aproximadamente quince jugadores de saxofón soprano, contralto, tenor, y barítono. En el concierto, jugamos las canciones como Yesterday por The Beatles, Hallelujah, YMCA, y mucho más. Un montón de la gente vino al concierto.

También, tenía mucha tarea, y así hice mi tarea. Por ejemplo, tenía un proyecto de español; tenía que investigar un artista español y hacer una presentación. Mi presentación era sobre Joan Miró, un artista de España. Yo también tenía un proyecto de las matemáticas, la física, el francés, y la música.

Además, vi unos programas de televisión. Miré Breaking Bad y The Big Bang Theory (Yo hablé de estos programas en mi carta anterior).

Mi familia y yo celebramos Pascua; somos cristianos. Vamos al servicio de Pascua especial a nuestra iglesia. Además, nosotros comemos una cena excelente, a veces a la casa, y a veces a un restaurante. Es un buen tiempo para estar con mi familia; aunque, mis primos, tíos, tías, abuelos, y abuelas están en Corea del Sur, así yo celebro sólo con mis padres y mis hermanas. También, a veces vamos en un viaje corto; el año pasado, mi familia y yo fuimos a Ottawa. Ottawa es la capital de Canadá, así debes visitar Ottawa. Hay muchos lugares interesantes, como el edificio de parlamento.

Además, cuando era muy joven, teníamos una búsqueda de los huevos de Pascua. Yo decoraba los huevos y jugaba los juegos de Pascua. Sin embargo, soy demasiado viejo ahora.

¿Cuál es tu tipo favorito de chocolate, y por qué?

¿Cuál es tu tipo favorito de flor, y por qué?

¿Qué querías ser, cuando eras muy, muy joven?

Adiós,

David

2 de abril

Querida Celia,

¡Yo tenía una vacación de marzo fantástico! Para la vacación de marzo mi familia y yo fuimos a nuestra casa de campo, que está 2 horas de Toronto. En el primer día mi familia y yo fuimos a la casa de campo y después yo leí el libro “Of Mice and Men” por Steinbeck (él es un autor muy famoso). Durante 4 días, yo esquié con mi hermano, hermana y madre. Aunque la nieve no era muy bueno que me gustó esquiar. El miércoles mi hermano y yo jugamos muchos videojuegos como “Call of Duty” y “Assasin’s Creed”. Para jueves y viernes leí otro libro de Steinbeck que se llama "Grapes of Wrath”. El viernes salimos de nuestra casa de campo. El sábado y el domingo estudié para mis pruebas de las matemáticas y las ciencias de la computación y también trabajé en un proyecto para mi clase de español.

Mi familia y yo celebramos la Pascua pero no es una gran celebración. La mayoría de los años, mi familia va a la iglesia el Viernes Santo y el Domingo de Pascua. Normalmente no vamos a la iglesia pero mis padres creen que es importante ir a la iglesia en el día de Pascua. Después, nuestros abuelos vienen a nuestra casa para la cena. Para la cena comemos carne de Wellington con postres y verduras de Yorkshire.

¿Te gustan los video juegos? ¿Por qué?

¿Cuál videojuegos juegas?

¿Cuál es tu videojuego perfecto? ¿Por qué?

Adiós

Eric

Hola Jennifer,

¿Cómo estás?

Durante mis vacaciones de marzo fui a Turquía con mis padres para visitar mis amigos y mi familia. Vi muchas películas en el avión y también dormí un poco. En Turquía comí mucha comida que no puedo comer aquí. También visité muchos lugares con mis amigos. Mi favorito es el “Hard Rock Café”. Con mis amigos fuimos a “Hard Rock Café” para comer postres. También yo compré una camiseta para mi colección de las camisetas de “Hard Rock Café”. Otro cosa que yo lo hice en Turquía es chatear con mis amigos. Hablé con ellos todo el tiempo. Con mi mejor amiga hicimos muchas cosas. Por ejemplo, vimos una película, comimos, hablamos y nos reímos mucho. También antes de partir de Turquía, mis amigos organizaron una cena de sorpresa para mí dónde llegué a ver la mayoría de mis amigos y tuve una noche increíble. Además de esto, tuvimos un pastel para celebrar los cumpleaños de mi mejor amigo y yo, que fue un mes antes de mi viaje. Tuve un gran tiempo en Turquía gracias a mis amigos.

No celebro la Semana Santo o Pascua porque no soy religiosa. Durante estos días voy a visitar mis amigos y también voy a ir de compras. Otra cosa que voy a hacer durante los días es sobre mis aplicaciones de la universidad. Voy a visitar la Universidad de Toronto y voy a hablar con los representantes.

Semana Santo es para celebrar la muerte de Jesús. Normalmente, la gente visita a la iglesia en viernes de Pascua y Domingo de Pascua. Otra cosa que hacen es tienen una búsqueda de huevos para las niñas y los niños. Tienen la oportunidad de comer chocolate. Sin embargo, como las familias se están convirtiendo menos y menos religiosas están olvidando de dónde el Pascua originó y lo celebran con los conejitos de pascua y chocolate.

¿Qué vas a hacer durante las vacaciones de verano?

¿Tienes instagram?

¿Qué quieres estudiar en la universidad?

¿Cuál es tu película favorita?

¿Tienes mascotas?

Un abrazo,

Buke Ayra

-----------------

Hola Claudia

Vacaciones de Marzo es una semana de vacaciones en Marzo para los estudiantes y personas que trabajan. Durante las vacaciones de Marzo, Yo fue a Nueva York con mi familia. Yo estuve en Nueva York para cuatro días y tres noches. En Neuva York mi familia y yo hicimos mucho. Fuimos galerías de arte (Guggenheim y Museum of the city of New York). Tambíen mimos un musical llamado “Balas sobre Broadway” (Bullets over Broadway). Está escrito por Woody Allen y él escribió un montón de películas como Blue Jasmine, Midnight in Paris, Annie Hall y mucho mas. También hicimos un montón de compras. Yo compré un bolso de mana. En Nueva York yo comí mucho tipos de comida. Mi comida favorita fue una hamburguesa y papas fritas de “5 Napkin Burger”. La hamburguesa es muy buena.¡Me gusta Neuva York mucho!

Yo celebro Pascua con toda mi familia. En Pascua, tambíen celebramos mi cumpleaños porque está cerca de Pascua. En Pascua mi familia comemos panecillos y chocolate. Yo no voy a la iglesia porque mi familia no es religioso. Tambíen, puedo tomar tiempo libre de la escuela. Los niños pequeños en mi familia decorar y pintar huevos duros. Todos los niños en mi familia reciben conejitos de chocolate desde Lindor Chocolate. El chocolate es muy bueno.

Preguntas:

¿Que vas hacer durantes de vacaciones de verano?

¿Cómo te llega a la escuela?

¿Cómo es el clima en España?

¿Cuál es tu canción favorita en este momento?

Adiós,

Hannah

Hola Omar,

¿Cómo estás? Fue avril ahora y no me gusta. Á mi me encanta marzo porque hay las vacaciones de marzo. Las vacaciones de marzo son 10 días ( el 7 de marzo a el 17 de marzo) sin la escuela. Yo resté a Toronot porque fue muy frío y mi madre no quieró ir a cualquier lugar. Yo pasé las vacaciones con mis amigos. Yo fui al cine para mirar Frozen, Non-Stop y Monuments Men. Todos fueron muy interesantes pero á mi me gusta Non-Stop lo más. Non-Stop fue una película de acción y esta es mi typo des películas favoritas. Non-Stop fue sobre un hombre quien fue a cargo de proteger un avión. Hubo una persona quien quierió matar todos. Frozen fue muy preciosa pero yo prefiero Tangled porque el cuento es más interesante y divertido. ¡Tambíen fue mi cumpleaños! Yo soy muy suerte que mi cumpleaños fueron durante las vacaciones porque yo no debo ir a la escuela. Yo comió el pastel y recibió regalos. También mis amigos y yo fuimos al parque para correr. ¡Fue una vacacione super!

Yo celebro Pascua. Pero mi familia haceron las cosas diferentes porque somos polacos. Nosotros iremos a la iglesia con una cesta el Viernes Santo. En la cesta tendremos heuvos, pan, sal, jámon y pastel. En la iglesia el padre bendirá la cesta y mi famila irá a nuestra casa. El Domingo Pascua mi madre servirá la comida de la cesta para el desayuno. Cúando yo era muy joven yo tuve una búsqueda de heuvos con mis amigos. Fue muy linda y especiale. Á mi me encanta la Pascua.

¿Cuál es tu tipo de chocolate favorito? Expliqué. ¿Es la Pascua/Semana Santa muy importante en España? ¿Porque o proque non? ¿Cuál es la religion más prominente en España? Expliqué.

Hasta luego,

Kasia Yabar

¡Hola Roksana!

¿Cómo estás? Yo estoy muy bien.

En Canadá tenemos un descanso de la escuela en marzo. Se llama vacaciones de marzo. Para vacaciones de marzo yo viajé a las Bahamas con mi mama. Nos fuimos a Paradise Island en las Bahamas. Nos alojamos en un resort muy bonito. ¡La playa era muy hermosa! La arena era blanca y el agua era de color turquesa. En el primer día nosotros pasamos la mayor parte del día en el avión. Cuando llegamos a la resort, nosotros exploramos y comimos la comida. Al día siguiente, fuimos a la ciudad capital. La ciudad capital se llama Nassau. Nassau es una isla diferente, así que tuvimos que tomar un barco. EnNassau, fuimos de compras. La ciudad es muy bonita y colorida. Por la tarde volvimos a la resort y relajado en la playa. Al día siguiente nos relajamos en la piscina todo el día. Me dieron una mala quemadura de sol. En el cuarto día, nos fuimos en unviaje en velero. Nosotros navegamos a Rose Island. Fuimos a bucear en este viaje también. Vi muchos peces y plantas en el océano. El agua estaba muy caliente y muy bonito. En el quinto día, volvimos a Toronto. Estaba triste por dejar. Yo tenía un viaje increíble con mi mamá. Me encanta las Bahamas.

Yo soy un cristiano, yo Celebro Pascua. En Canadá, no tenemos escuela, el Viernes Santo y el Lunes de Pascua. Para fin de Pascua, mi familia va a visitar a mis abuelos. Mis abuelos viven en Sauble Beach. Sauble Beach es un pueblo muy pequeño. Vamos a Sauble Beach en el Viernes Santo. La mañana del sábado, toda mi familia va a la iglesia porque hay un desayuno especial para panqueques. Es muy delicioso. Después de eso, mi familia le gusta ir a caminar con nuestros perros. Nos encanta caminar a el río y a Sauble Falls. Sauble Falls es una cascada. La mañana del domingo nosotros vamos a la iglesia para el servicio de Pascua. Después de la iglesia, llegamos a casa y abrimos nuestras cestas de pascua. En general tienenchocolate y dulces en ellos. También comemos un desayuno especial preparada por mi abuela. También comemos una cena muy especial esa noche. Nosotros comemos jamón, patatas, frijoles, pan, maíz, gelatina y nabo. Para el postre, mi abuelaprepara un pastel. Es muy delicioso. En el Lunes de Pascua, mi abuelo prepara un desayuno especial antes de nosotros salimos a Toronto. Me gusta Pascua.

¿Qué come tu familia en la Pascua? ¿Tienes alguna mascota? ¿Qué tipo de mascotas? ¿Cuál es su favorito de vacaciones? ¿Por qué?

¡Adiós!

Gillian

Hola Marta!

¿Cómo estás? Estas vacaciones de marzo visité universidades con mi padre. Fuimos a la universidad de Toronto y fue muy agradable. Nos tomamos un tour de la universidad porque quiero ir a la universidad después del grado 12. También fui a Kentucky, Estados Unidos para visitar a mis amigos. En Kentucky fui de compras. También fui en mi bicicleta. Con mis amigos hicimos el pastel y vimos las películas. Vimos una película llamada el Calor. Fue muy divertida. Cuenta con Sandra Bullock y Melissa Mccarthy en la película. Fue muy divertido. Durante vacaciones de marzo también salía con amigos. Fuimos y nos dieron té y hablamos. Yo también leí un libro. Fue por Dan Brown y fue llamado el símbolo perdido. Era un libro muy largo, pero era entretenido. Fue una muy agradable vacaciones.

Mi familia celebra la Pascua. Vamos a tener una cena familiar incluyendo: mi hermana, mi hermano, mi madre, mi padre, mi primo, mi tía, mi abuelo y mi abuela. Comemos jamón o pavo, así como algún tipo de postre. Para Pascua mi familia no tiene una comida típica. Contamos con una búsqueda de huevos de Pascua, donde buscamos el chocolate en forma de huevos. Los huevos se esparcen por toda la casa. Es muy divertidas y suelen jugar con mi primo más joven. Se emociona cuando ve un huevo. Cuando era más joven que mi hermana y yo solía pintar los huevos para la decoración. Ahora, durante Pascua voy a ir a mi granja. En mi granja tendremos paseos por el bosque y disfrutar del aire libre.

¿Cuál es su favorito de vacaciones? Cómo se obtiene tiempo fuera de la escuela para sus vacaciones? ¿Qué vacaciones celebras?

¡Hasta luego!

Ellis Kelly

THEY ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS:

From,

David

LAS RESPUESTAS

1. No celebro el Carnaval en mi país. Estudiaba el Carnaval en mi clase de francés; yo hacía las máscaras y las coronas, y también escuchaba la música de Carnaval. Pero no celebro el Carnaval en la vida real.

2. El Carnaval es el día antes del miércoles de Ceniza, así es el martes.

3. Este año, el Carnaval era el 4 de marzo, porque era el martes antes del miércoles de Ceniza.

4. En Canadá, en general, hace mucho frío. Este año, hacía frío, y había mucha nieve en el suelo en Toronto.

5. No es un festival importante para mi familia. No celebramos el Carnaval, y no nos preocupamos del festival.

6. Sí, el Carnaval es muy importante en Venecia y Nueva Orleáns.

7. Notting Hill es un lugar en Londres, Inglaterra. Es el lugar del Carnaval anual de Notting Hill.

8. No celebro el Carnaval, pero cuando yo “celebraba” el Carnaval en mi clase de francés, escuchaba la música del Carnaval, hacía las máscaras y las coronas, y hablaba con mis amigos.

9. No, no me vestía para el Carnaval, porque no celebro el Carnaval. Pero en mi clase de francés, llevaba una corona que yo hacía, una camiseta azul, y los jeans azules.

10. No tengo las fotos del Carnaval, porque no celebraba el Carnaval.

11. No, no como la comida especial. Pero en mi clase de francés, aprendía que las personas en el Carnaval comen el quingombó, el marisco, y el arroz frito.

AND THEY BECOME TEACHERS FOR ONE DAY, HELPING THEIR PARTNERS TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE

Do you celebrate Carnival in your country?

· Yes, I celebrate Carnival in my country.

· What day of the week is it?

· Carnival is on Monday and Tuesday.

· When will it be this year?

· This year, it was on March 3rd and March 4th.

· What is the weather usually like in your country on those days?

· Last year it was snowing, and this year it was raining, so usually the weather is bad.

· Is it a very important festival?

· No, it isn't a very important festival.

· Do you know any towns where carnival is really important and famous?

· Yes, the Carnival is important and famous in Tenerife and Canarias.

· What is Notting Hill? What's its connection with carnival?

· Notting Hill is a street in London and it is the europa's biggest Carnival.

· What do you usually do on Carnival?

· I usually eat dinner with my friends, and later I go to the club and dance the disco.

· Did you dress up this year? Explain, please.

· I dressed myself as football player. I wore a blue t-shirt. In the back it said my name and a number. I wore a lot of clothes because it was very cold. I wore athletic, red shorts. My friends and I were a football team.

· Do you have any pictures from this or a previous year? If so, please upload them!!!!

· No, I don't have any pictures from this or a previous year.

· Do you eat any special type of food?

· No, I don't eat any special type of food.

Muy bien, Aida!

- David Shin

THEY SHARE PICTURES AND OTHER INTERESTING THINGS!!!!

project Making Friends Laviana Toronto

lunes, 2 de junio de 2014

Our Favourite Book

lunes, 26 de mayo de 2014

Questions from our Canadian Partners

SUMMER is coming!!!!!

lunes, 5 de mayo de 2014

ENGLISH? SPANISH? BOTH, PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!