ENGLISH IS MY BUSINESS

If you are one of my students or if you were one day, I´m sure you have heard me say something good about Canada, mainly about Toronto. If you want to have a great view of Toronto, take a look at this video and you´ll see why I love this place!!!! http://vimeo.com/30788720

WELCOME, FOLKS! THESE ACTIVITIES MAY HELP YOU TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS IN ENGLISH. FEEL FREE TO GIVE YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE TOPICS YOU FIND. TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND HAVE FUN! WHO WANTS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR? READ THE TEXT BELLOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW: A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR Jayson Meyer was sixteen when he and his younger  brother Matthew started their technology company. Jayson lives in Daytona Beach, Florida, in the USA. He looks like any typical university student, but Jayson doesn´t need to. He is already a successful businessman. Jayson is co-founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Meyer Technologies, Inc. At night school, Jayson spent a lot of time working on computers for the school and local businesses. He didn´t have time for school work, but he could fix almost any computer problem. So, when he was fifteen, Jayson left school and went into business full time. With this brother, he set up a shop at the local weekend market. The business was succe...

MOTIVATION AT WORK This subject is very important, once you are working or if you are looking for a job at the moment. It isn´t so easy to feel happy and motivated at work all the time, that ´s why sometimes we have to think about different ways to keep always focused and excited about our job. In this activity, you´ll find some exercises and texts discussing about the topic above. Read everything to gather information for further discussions with you friends. Feel free to  share your point of view over here. Join us! 1. What´s really important to you when you choose a job: earning a lot of money? Working for a big company to have status? Helping other people? Working on something you love, even if you don´t earn much money? 2. Read about the quotes from two people talking about their jobs.  MARIE, ACCOUNTANT:  I work in the finance department of a large company. There are a lot of benefits. for example, if the company makes a profit, all the employees get a bonus....

GOOD EVENING, FOLKS,  WELCOME TO OUR BLOG, NOW WE HAVE A TASK TO DO! READ THE TEXT BELOW AND TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT IT! GIVE YOUR OPINION ABOUT EMPLOYMENT NEWS: EMPLOYMENT NEWS: WHAT IS CHANGING OUR WORKING WORLD? COMPUTERS CHANGED EMPLOYMENT IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, SO WHAT IS CHANGING OUR WORK AND LIVES IN THIS CENTURY? Employees aren't staying in the same job. Nowadays, the average employee starts a new job every three years. The number of women in work is rising and more women are working in higher positions. More people are working from home and deciding their own working hours. 1. DO YOU AGREE WITH THE ARTICLE? 2. IS IT TRUE FOR YOU AND YOUR COMPANY?

HI, FOLKS! THESE ARE OUR FIRST ACTIVITIES USING OUR BLOG. TAKE PART IN THE DISCUSSIONS, WRITE YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE TOPICS YOU READ AND HELP YOUR FRIENDS TO LEARN AS A GROUP! ACTIVITY 1: DURING AUGUST AND THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER WE TALKED ABOUT DEPARTMENTS OF A COMPANY AND EMPLOYMENT. OUR FIRST TASK HERE RELATES TO THESE TOPICS. CASE STUDY: READ THE CASE STUDY CAREFULLY, AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW: Cineworld is a multi-screen cinema complex in the centre of London. It contains five cinemas, two restaurants, and an electronic games centre and internet café. The manager, Amy Watkins, needs to recruit more sales assistants for the complex. She has decided to carry out a two-stage job analysis before writing the job advertisements. The first part of the job analysis is to interview a sales assistant, to find out she perceives her role in the company. The second part of the job analysis is to observe the sales assistants as they perform their work. The first job analysis ...

WELCOME ABOARD! THESE ACTIVITIES ARE RELATED TO THE TOPICS WE DISCUSSED IN THE CLASSROOM SOME DAYS AGO. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR FUTURE JOB AND FOR YOUR CAREER TO GET TO KNOW ABOUT  FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS.  READ THE TEXT BELLOW AND TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT: 1. WHAT´S THE BEST AIRPORT FOR YOU? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT? WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IN AN AIRPORT TO PROVIDE GOOD SERVICES TO THE CUSTOMERS AND PASSANGERS? 2. AFTER READING ABOUT THE MOST FAMOUS, MODERN AND BEAUTIFUL AIRPORTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD, DO YOU THINK BRAZILIAN AIRPORTS ARE PREPARED TO RECEIVE FOREIGNERS DURING THE WORLD CUP? WHAT DO YOU THINK WE MUST IMPROVE TO  PROVIDE GOOD SERVICES IN 2014? TOP FAMOUS AIRPORTS            Airports are one of the most important locations on a map. Airports are the base station for the fastest means of international transport. Modern day aircrafts are the fastest means of travel via air and airport directs this air travel.  ...

FOR THE FINAL ACTIVITY, I  NEED YOUR HELP!! IN THE OTHER TASKS YOU HAD TO READ ABOUT A FAMOUS SKYSCRAPER CALLED "CN TOWER", IN TORONTO, CANADA.  NOW, YOU ARE GOING TO CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE FAMOUS BUILDING! FIRST STEP: YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE BUILDING. SECOND STEP: MAKE A RESEARCH AND GATHER SOME INFORMATION ABOUT IT. THIRD STEP: WRITE A SMALL TEXT USING THE MAIN INFORMATION YOU HAVE ABOUT THE BUILDING. FOURTH STEP: CHOOSE A WEBSITE SO THAT YOUR FRIENDS CAN SEE SOME PICTURES THAT ILLUSTRATE THE BUILDING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. LAST STEP: POST YOUR TEXT AND THE LINK TO THE WEBSITE HERE ON THE BLOG. ENJOY!!!

AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO ABOUT CN TOWER AGAIN, YOU PROBABLY HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT HOW SCARY  THE EXPERIENCE OF LYING DOWN ON THE GLASS FLOOR  IS . NOW, READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT AND ACCESS THE WEBPAGE ON THE LINK BELOW. I´M SURE YOU WILL FEEL MUCH MORE SCARED AFTER THAT.  AFTER READING, TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE "EDGE WALK" AT THE CN TOWER. EdgeWalk at the CN Tower, Toronto’s most extreme attraction, is now open! EdgeWalk is CN Tower’s most thrilling attraction in its 35 year history, and the first of its kind in North America. It is the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 5 ft (1.5 m) wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower’s main pod, 356m/1168ft (116 storeys) above the ground. Visitors will walk in groups of six, while attached to an overhead safety rail via a trolley and harness system. Trained EdgeWalk guides will encourage participants to push their personal limits, allowing them to lean back over Toronto with nothing but air and breathtaking ...

AFTER READING THE TEXTS ABOUT CN TOWER IN ACTIVITY 1, I HOPE YOU USE ALL THE INFORMATION YOU HAVE NOW TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND BETTER THE VIDEO WE SAW IN CLASS THE OTHER DAY.  WATCH IT AGAIN AND TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT  HOW IMPORTANT IS WHEN YOU HAVE  GOOD PLACES TO VISIT WHEN YOU TRAVEL ABROAD BOTH FOR TOURISM AND WORK. TO WATCH THE VIDEO AGAIN, CLICK ON THE ADDRESS BELOW: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGxBJ34MgiI

MEET THE CN TOWER Hi, folks! I hope you have fun while you´re reading, writing, learning and meeting friends in our blog. Feel free to comment and show us your ideas and opinions about the topics we have here for you! Last class we talked about buildings, facilities, rooms, properties. We started our lesson by watching a video about one of the most famous buildings in the world: CN TOWER, in Toronto, Canada. Now you have the opportunity to get more information about it. Read the article below, then write about what you consider very interesting about that. Enjoy!! The   CN Tower   is a communications and observation  tower   in  Toronto , Ontario, Canada. Standing 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) tall,   it was completed in 1976, becoming the world´s tallest free-standing structure   and  world´s tallest tower   at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the   Burj Khalifa   and   Canton Tower . ...

Your homework is going to be delicious t hese week !!  Look at the photos and read the subtitles describing this funny and creative event that took place some days ago in New York. If you were invited to be there, what would you like to order? What kind of food do you think is more appropriate for a situation like that? Give your opinion and talk to your friends!!  Good appetite! http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/05/04/dining/20110504-TRAIN.html#1

Read the article and talk to your friends about the project for healthy food Education and Nutrition this school from New Jersey is developing . What´s your opinion about it? Do you think this kind of project would work in Brazilian schools? What would you like to cook? What recipe would you suggest to your friends? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/nyregion/at-new-yorks-private-schools-rutabaga-fries-not-tater-tots.html?hp

       THIS WEBSITE OFFERS SOME GOOD VIDEOS AND GREAT IDEAS TO IMPROVE YOUR CLASSES! TAKE A LOOK AT THE CREATIVE ACTIVITIES PEOPLE SUGGEST, YOUR PUPILS WILL LOVE YOUR CLASSES EVEN MORE!! http://www1.teachertube.com/

FOR NEWS ABOUT CANADA, VISIT CBC-TORONTO: http://www.cbc.ca/toronto/

IF YOU PREFER READING NEWS IN BRITISH VERSION, VISIT "THE  GUARDIAN" WEBSITE AND HAVE A GOOD TIME! http://www.guardian.co.uk/

IF YOU WANT TO PRACTICE READING RELEVANT TEXTS ALL IN ENGLISH, VISIT THE NEW YORK TIMES WEBSITE FOR BREAKING NEWS! http://www.nytimes.com/

AS WE HAVE TO START, LET´S DO IT THE BEST WAY...  NINE YEARS AGO, MY TEACHER AND SUPERVISOR DURING MY STUDIES FOR MASTER´S DEGREE, PhD JOHN ROBERT SCHMITZ, INTRODUCED ME TO THIS INTERESTING WORK SOME GUYS WERE DOING IN THE USA. A GROUP OF BRAZILIANS LIVING ABROAD, SPECIFICALLY IN NEW YORK, FOLLOWED BY SOME NORTH-AMERICAN AND OTHER FOREIGN FRIENDS STARTED PUBLISHING SOME ARTICLES, ALL IN ENGLISH, DISCUSSING POLITICS, ECONOMY AND ALSO SOME CULTURAL MATTERS ABOUT BRAZIL. AS TIME WENT BY, MANY FAMOUS WRITERS, POLITICIANS, JOURNALISTS WERE INVITED TO WRITE FOR BRAZZIL MAGAZINE. IN 2002 I INCLUDED SOME OF THIS ARTICLES IN MY RESEARCH. THE EXPERIENCE WAS GREAT, THAT´S THE REASON WHY I RECOMMEND YOU READING IT TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH SKILLS!! ENJOY IT!! http://www.brazzil.com/