ANNOUNCEMENTS - A New Blog Is Born

Hello everybody!

Sorry it has taken me so long to come up with a final concept for this blog. I knew I wanted it to be an educational blog, but I didn't know how to include all the things I needed it to include without creating a... mess. It was supposed to be ready a month ago, but back then I had lots of things on my mind and I just couldn't decide how to divide it into sections. 

This is an opening post, so it should count as an ANNOUNCEMENT, but the point is that each post will have a main Title (which will actually show in which Section it belongs - see 'Sections' above) and a Subtitle (showing what it is about). So when you need something from the archives, it should be easier for you to follow a certain Section. 

My main public is supposed to be... my students. Nevertheless, everybody is welcome to 'drop by', read the posts and leave comments. Let it be clear that I am going to check the submitted comments and see if they are adequate or not. 

Each Section will serve a certain purpose. I hope it is obvious what ANNOUNCEMENTS will include.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE will include lessons and various exercises for various levels. I'll be expecting feedback, so please do not ignore them! Feel free to ask questions, but also to do at least some of those exercises and submit them for evaluation. If they are well done, they will earn you some extra points in class! :)

CULTURE and CIVILISATION of English-speaking Countries is where I am going to post articles you might find useful for your school projects. Since a language cannot be studied out of context, it is necessary for you to learn interesting facts about the countries where English is an official language (I'll probably focus on The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and on The United States of America, but I'll add articles on other places, as well - occasionally.)

WRITING - well, this is a raw spot for most people, since many students find it difficult to write not only in a foreign language, but in their mother tongue, too. This is where I'll try to help them. Those who happen to have some talent are welcome to write short texts and submit them as Comments. We will discuss them consequently.

BOOK CLUB - this section is actually going to include two sub-sections. The first one will provide texts for reading and analysis for middle/secondary school students. These texts will be followed by Reading Comprehension exercises, and if you do them, you may get extra points in class, as well! The second sub-section is less 'formal'. This is where I'll talk about books and everybody is welcome to join me! Let's discuss books together! 

DRAMA CLUB - this is for the students interested in acting. It may include articles about acting throughout the ages, about famous playwrights, actors, and directors, but it will also include short plays and discussions on acting. Further along I may even add interviews with people who really know what acting is all about. ;)

THOUGHTS on MUSIC and FILMS - these are not limited to English-speaking countries, but they are going to be a series of short posts in English - on songs, films, shows or TV series. Please leave comments. 

GAMES - here I will initiate some games: word games, picture games... We'll see... Attention! Games will not earn you any points in school! They are just for fun.

CONTESTS - unlike the Game section, Contests will earn you points, but only if you win them! You may not bring your answers to me at school; you will have to send them to me as comments if you want them to get validated and assessed! They need to be visible online so that I could name the winner according to a ranking established according to a series of criteria posted beforehand.

ARTICLES from CONTRIBUTORS - this is where I'll post articles written by students, other teachers, or even parents - which may be of interest. Some of these articles may be in Romanian, but dealing with language-related issues. However, most of them should be in English. Please submit your articles to my email address. Any articles written in English (correctly!!!) by my students will earn them points in class! 

Attention! Whenever you include a picture or a reference, mention your sources! Thank you.