Session 1 - Getting started.

Session 1 

Welcome everyone!

I'm sure you're not yet wide awake, and neither am I   'cause as I write this it's getting later and later. Anyway, I'm just writing a brief intro for you to get an idea of what we'll do in these sessions.

A) Follow the instructions and create your blog

1. go to: http://www.blogger.com/ and  create your blog. If you have a google account: sign in first; if you don’t have a google account: create a google account . Give your blog a cool name, and customise it as you wish.

It's advisable that you select English as the set language and activate the comments option (automatic by default).

2. Link your teacher’s blog and ALL your classmates’ blogs to yours. 

3. Write a short introductory/welcome post. (70 words) Say who you are and what objectives you hope to achieve with your blog.

4. You can always personalize your entries (e.g. add a picture, survey, change colour fonts, etc).

B) Alright, now that you've all set, let's do our first writing task.

Before you continue, check this picture:

Have you ever felt like this about summer (or winter) holidays? Comment on this idea with your classmates. What was your last summer like?

After your discussion, read the following text:

I often feel as if I never have real holidays. There's always something pending, too much to be done, too many things that have been left aside. Take last summer, for example. I feel that I didn’t really have a break, even though I actually went to the beach several times, took like a million walks by the seaside, visited a friend in Melipilla, went to the oldest cinema ever, (loved it BTW), went to a sort of a campsite with the coldest spring water pools ever (didn’t like that very much…but there were lovely duckies and horsies and even a llama, so that got me convinced!), I even visited the train museum! And yet, dunno why I still feel that my holidays are like ‘hollow’-days (pun intended). Anyhow, what would a perfect holiday be like then?

I guess the first thing you need if you’d like to utterly enjoy your summer is a nice, big house in the woods. I think a cozy place to rest after a long day is essential for a perfect holiday. Next, the weather; it should be warm and sunny. I imagine blue skies and clear clouds. But not boiling hot. A stream nearby would be nice. And of course, my companion animals have to be there; if I want to rest and enjoy myself fully, I need them with me. The house should have an ample room to play some music, and a completely equipped kitchen to cook something yummy for when the day is done. And garden! If you want to achieve total relaxation, you need flowers, and petals and grass and all that! Then, the recipe is almost ready. The last bit for a perfect summer holiday would be a soft, comfy bed. There’s nothing that beats summer perfection as nap time!

Now you try. Write about your a summer holiday you’d like to have

Say:

Where you would like to go/be

What things you consider essential to make your holiday perfect

Who you’d like to be there with you

What activities you’d definitely like to do

Add whatever information you feel you’d like to add.

Write about 200 words.

Comment on my post

Then comment on 3 of your classmates’ posts as well.

All of this must be done during this session.

(It’s recommendable that you write your text on a word doc before you post it so as to avoid losing information)

You can use an online dictionary or ask me for whatever you need. The only thing you can’t do is to use a translator.