Newsletter January 2015 Issue 6
Contents 3…….Welcome 4…….The term in pictures 6…….Exam results 7…….Interview with Matthew 8…… Term Timeline 10…...ARTICLE: The Greatest Invention Ever
11…...Quizzes and Games 12…...This term
Welcome to the Excel College January newsletter. Happy New Year! And welcome to a new term at Excel College! Last term was busy, especially at the end of the year, when the College moved from Cedar House to a new building on Oxford Street. Classes in the new building started on 6th January. We’re enjoying being in a more modern building with better facilities and a great city centre location. Last term we also welcomed two new members of staff, Jill and Matthew. Jill is teaching IELTS Advanced class at the College and Medical English at the Royal Manchester Infirmary. Matthew is our new Academic Manager. You can read an interview with him on page 9. There were lots of wintery events to enjoy last term at the College. Manchester celebrated Halloween, Bonfire Night and, of course, Christmas and New Year. Throughout the term we went on trips to see fireworks at Platt Fields Park, to go ice skating at Manchester’s winter ice rink and to visit the Christmas Markets. We also continued our Conversation Club which now takes place at a different café every week. This is so students can discover new areas of the city and practise their English at the same time! Take a look at the Term in Pictures to see more of what we’ve been up to this term. As always, if you’d like to practise your writing skills by writing a review, a recipe, a letter or an article for the next newsletter, send an email to admin@excel-college.com or send a message to the Excel College Facebook page. We’d love to see your photos and videos too!
Anna Bartholomew Admissions and Student Services
If you’re looking to meet new people in Manchester, join Meet Up! You can find lots of different groups in the city who host regular activities, with something for every interest: hiking, reading, international exchange, dancing and cycling to name a few! You can also keep up-to-date with Excel College social activities by joining our Meet Up group.
3
The term in pictures
Exam Results and Letters We love hearing about students’ exam results and their experiences at Excel College. You can send your results or letters to admin@excel-college.com
Student: Dayana Country: Colombia IELTS: 6.0 Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation Listening
Reading
5.5
5.5
Writing
Speaking
6.0
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Student: Mohamed Country: Libya IELTS: 5.0 Course: IELTS Advanced Preparation
Student: Salem Country: Qatar IELTS: 5.0 Course: IELTS Foundation Preparation
Listening 4.5
Reading 4.0
Writing 4.5
Listening
Reading
5.0
4.5
Writing
Speaking
5.0
6.0
Speaking 6.5
Congratulations to Dayana, Mohamed and Salem on their results and good luck to students taking exams next term! 6
An Interview with Matthew Last term Matthew joined the Excel College team. He is our new Academic Manager so he is always around to help students with any questions they have about their classes. Here you can find out a little bit more about him... Name: Matthew Job Title: Academic Manager
Where’s your favourite place in the UK and why? Snowdonia, North Wales. I love the outdoors and this place also brings back happy childhood memories.
Favourite food: Steak and chips Favourite drink: Real ale Favourite place: The Alps in winter Special skills: Cooking—people say I’m a good cook and I love hosting dinner parties. Why did you become a TEFL teacher? I love travelling and for me TEFL is a way of “travelling without moving”. Tell us about your first ever teaching job. This was at a school in London called Avalon. I had great fun there. It had a reputation for being a bit of a “party” school. In what countries have you taught? UK (London and Manchester) and Italy. What is your best teaching memory? Teaching kids on a skiing camp in Italy—we were skiing all morning and teaching for a couple of hours in the afternoon. It was like a paid holiday.
What is your worst teaching memory? Well, to be honest, those kids on the skiing camp weren’t interested in learning English, so it was hard work in the lessons!
Can you think of another question to ask yourself? “Do you support Manchester City or Manchester United?” Neither—I support Bolton Wanderers, the best team in Greater Manchester!
Term Timeline What happened at the College, in Manchester and in the UK last term? Have a look at our timeline to find out.
Classical Music Concert Trip 29th September At the start of the term, we went to a free lunchtime concert at the Royal College of Music.
Manchester Literature Festival 6th - 19th October Writers from the north of England and around the world came to Manchester to talk about reading, writing in events around the city.
Manchester Science Festival 23rd October - 2nd November The city’s annual science festival returned in October. Scientists from around the world came to talk about their discoveries and there were lots of interactive exhibitions.
Halloween 31st October The College was decorated with spooky cobwebs and spiders. In Manchester, there were lots of parties where people wore fancy dress.
Bonfire Night Trip 5th November On Bonfire Night we went on a trip to Platt Fields Park where there were fireworks and a funfair.
Manchester Christmas Lights 7th November Every year in the city, there is a big party to celebrate the night when the Christmas lights are switched on. This year there was music, comedy and fireworks in Albert Square.
Class trip to MOSI 14th November The Beginner, Elementary and Pre Intermediate classes had an exciting lesson at the Museum of Science and Industry!
College Christmas Party 12th December Our annual Christmas party was lots of fun. We all tried some new food from around the world, played some games and said some sad goodbyes to the students who left us at the end of the term.
Manchester Christmas Markets 14th November Manchester’s famous Christmas markets opened in November. This year there were more markets than ever with stalls selling food, drink and gifts from around the world.
Moving Day 29th December Excel College moved from Cedar House to its new address on Oxford Street. We’re enjoying the new term in our new building!
Ice Skating Trip 19th November We went ice skating at Manchester’s winter ice rink.
The Greatest Invention of All Time Last term, Manchester Science Festival came to the city. In honour of the festival, our writing competition was science based; we asked our students to write about the greatest invention of all time. Here is the winning entry from Fatimah At Qattani. Today I want to talk about anti-bacterial hand gel. I have chosen this invention because I think it is very important in daily life. This product was launched maybe five years ago. It went on sale in supermarkets and lots of people soon found out about it. Before this invention people used Dettol wipes, but I prefer hand gel because the bottle is very light and very small. You can carry it easily and it is easy to use. How to use it Just put a little anti-bacterial gel on your hands and rub, rub, rub for a few seconds to allow it to dry, then clean your hands with a tissue or put on a little hand cream. There are one or two small problems with this product. Firstly, with some varieties, your hands sometimes feel a little bit sticky and you have to rinse
your hands with water before you can touch a pen, a mobile phone, or any other object. In my opinion it is very important to use anti-bacterial gel whenever you are going to touch something which requires clean hands. For example, it should be applied before eating or before feeding a baby.
From my perspective as an overseas student, using anti-bacterial gel is a matter of basic personal hygiene. In the modern world, where regular air travel in particular makes infection and disease much more common and much more difficult to combat, everyone should do what he or she can to create a clean and healthy environment.
Congratulations to Fatimah for her submission. She has won 15 hours free English classes! 1
Quizzes and Games
1
Animals and Idioms
Do you know the names of these animals?
Put the animals into these idioms. Then match the idioms to their definitions.
1
2
2
a.
I heard it straight from the __________’s mouth.
b.
There isn’t enough room to swing a __________ in here.
c.
He’s the black ___________ of the family.
d.
Don’t count your ____________s before they hatch.
e.
You can’t teach an old ____________ new tricks.
f.
There are plenty more __________ in the sea.
g.
I could carry on eating this chocolate until the __________s come home.
3 3
i.
Very little space.
ii.
For a very long time.
iii.
From the person directly concerned.
iv.
Don’t be too confident of success before it is certain.
v.
You can’t make people change their behaviour.
vi.
A member of a family or group who is seen as a disgrace to that family or group.
vii.
There are many other people that you could find to a have relationship with. (Often used when your friend has broken up with their boyfriend or girlfriend.)
4
a
4
b
c
d
5
6
7
1
e
f
g
What’s happening this term? The first few months of 2015 are filled with festivals!: you can try beers from Manchester and around the world at Manchester Beer Festival, watch new plays at Re:Play Theatre Festival or celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Manchester Irish Festival. You can also enjoy a more arty Manchester. Home, a new theatre / cinema / art gallery, will be opening later in the year. It will be the biggest multi-arts venue in the UK outside of London. While they wait for their new building to be ready, they are presenting theatre and art in interesting locations around the city. Also, one of Manchester’s most important art galleries, The Whitworth, is due to reopen in February after a big redevelopment. At the College, we have trips planned to visit the Beer & Cider Festival, the National Football Museum and the Imperial War Museum. We will also be having lots of movie evenings and coffee mornings. Our conversation club will now be taking place on Monday afternoons at a different location every week. Have a look at our events calendar for more information. To all students returning to Excel College after the break or starting classes for the first time, we hope you have a fun and successful term!
Quiz Answers Animals and Idioms 1. Chicken, 2. Horse, 3. Dog, 4. Fish, 5. Cat, 6. Cow, 7. Sheep. a) Horse, b) Cat, c) Sheep, d) Chicken, e) Dog, f) Fish, g) Cow. i) b, ii) g, iii) a, iv) d, v) e, vi) c, vii) f.
Write for the Excel College Newsletter! Put your writing skills to the test! Want to review a book, film or restaurant? Love or hate something about Manchester? Want to give a big thank you to your favourite teacher? We’d love to hear from you! Send articles, photos or ideas to admin@excel-college.com 18
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