What is it?

A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information. A mind map is often created around a single word or text, placed in the center, to which associated ideas, words and concepts are added. Categories can represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items related to a central key word or idea.

According to Buzan you can create your Mind Map, just follow this steps

1. Start in the center with an image of the topic, using at least 3 colors.

2. Use images, symbols, codes, and dimensions throughout your mind map.

3. Select key words and print using upper or lower case letters.

4. Each word/image is best alone and sitting on its own line.

5. The lines should be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and thinner as they radiate out from the centre.

6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image they support.

7. Use multiple colors throughout the mind map, for visual stimulation and also to encode or group.

8.Develop your own personal style of mind mapping.

9. Use emphasis and show associations in your mind map.

10. Keep the mind map clear by using radial hierarchy, numerical order or outlines to embrace your branches.


Mind mapping can be used for:

 problem solving
 outline/framework design
 structure/relationship representations
 anonymous collaboration
 marriage of words and visuals
 individual expression of creativity
 condensing material into a concise and memorable format
 team building or synergy creating activity
 enhancing work morale

Bibliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_maphttp://mpra.ub.uni
muenchen.de/33366/1/Mind_mapping_management.pdf

Taking into account what you saw during the class,
write in the blog what do you think about mind maps
After it recieve a flag and search information about it,
in order to create a good sample of Mind Maps.

CLASS N° 1

SIMPLE PAST TENSE

EXAMPLES:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn't wash his car

ACTIVITY:

USING THE MIND MAP  WRITE A SHORT HISTORY ABOUT YOUR LIFE OR PAST EVENTS, WHERE YOU SHOW EVERY BRANCH STUDIED IN THE PICTURE.

__________________________________________________

Class # 2

Entry play

http://www.english-online.org.uk/games/gamezone2.htm

THE LIFE CHANGE TODAY NOT TOMORROW
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Maybe you never will win the lottery and transform the lives of all around you. But you might move, change jobs, see an improvement in finances that changes the options you have for your family or a dramatic financial setback that does the same. Families change in size, sometimes unexpectedly; elderly family members move in,  older children never leave, accidents or natural disasters bring tragedy or dislocation. It's impossible to map out now exactly what will be available or practical for your child's future. Whether things turn out better or worse than you expected, they will undoubtedly turn out differently.

It's easy to get stuck in a mindset where everything done now is in pursuit of some future good. But since it's impossible to know whether that future payoff will turn out as expected, there's something to be said for focusing on the present good -- it

is, if nothing else, a lot easier to predict. Putting your child in school situations that are comfortable for him or her now, focusing therapy on things that will make their immediate lives easier, tailoring behavioral strategies to keeping things calm and stress-free, spending lots of close and loving and fun time together, appreciating your kids right where they're at -- all of these things can bring big improvements in your family's life and your child's happiness in the short term, and that can incidentally pave the way for a more secure future as

well.

Bibliography

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/gettingadiagnosis/a/today.htm

The Simple Present Tense

http://basico1beleneoi.blogspot.com/2011/10/mind-maps.html

FUTURE PLANS

________________________________________

CLASS # 3

SIMPLE PAST AND SIMPLE PRESENT REVIEW

During this three first classes we have been studying Simple Present and Simple Past, you also have been working in Mind Maps and vocabulary enough to reach this new challenge using TIC's.

YOUR TURN

Create your own mind map in group using google drive. Remember to follow the steps showed in the beginning of this blog. Be creative, picture your ideas and color it.

Read and follow the instructions in order to create your own mind map working in small cyber groups. Remember being success in your task.

1. Open your Gmail account.
2. Send an email to Jonathan's email to brievasj@gmail.com and wait for few seconds while he receives the other students email.
3. Once done, click on driver or docs. It is located at the top of the web site.
4. Click on the topic you like the most: take into account that you will be working at the same time with other classmates.
5. Be creative and propose something nice in small cyber groups.

GALLERY 

Here you can find some min maps created by students of 10° at Colegio Americano de Bogotá

What is love?

How is my life? 

What about the weather?

How does Bogota's culture look like?

This is the product of mind maps usage in classroom, for increasing vocabulary and grammar. Thanks to all of you guys.

______________________________________________________________________________

Class # 4

Fair communication skills: listening, writing, reading and speaking.

Reading

RIDDLES

Read every riddle and fint out its answer. It will encrease your vocabulary

______________________________________________________________________

  

Listening

Listen and complete the text with one or two words only.

If we could turn the population of the Earth into a small village community of 100 people, keeping roughly the same proportions we have today on our planet, it would be something like this.

Welcome to our Global Village, the village Earth. In our village there are 100 people.

51 people are women and 49 are ___________ (1)
61 people are from___________ (2)

12 people are from ___________ (3)

14 people are from North and South_________ (4)

there are 13 people from __________ (5 )

13 people don't have enough to _________ (6 ), or are actually dying from hunger.

More than 40 people in the village live without basic sanitation, and 16 people live without water that can be drunk.

Roughly 14 adults in the village can't read or write. Only seven have had a    secondary school_____________ (7)

Eight people have a computer, and four are_________(8) to the internet.

Eight people have a car each, and ten per cent of the houses are powered by electricity.

Some people keep their ood in a refrigerator, and their clothes in a __________ (9); they have a roof over their heads; and they have a bed to sleep in. These people represent about 75 per cent o the entire___________ (10) of the village.

Six people in our village own 59 per cent of the entire wealth of all the people in our community.

Forty seven people live one two dollars or less a day.

25 people struggle to live on_________ (11) a day or less.

If you have a bank acount, you´re one of the 30________(12) people in the village.

Of all the money that the village spends every year; about 5.5 per cent is spent on weapons and_______ (13), roughly 3.4 per cent is spent on________ (14) and something like 2.6 per cent is spent on keeping people________ (15).

Next year, there wil be 105 people in the village.

WORK WITH PASSION,
LOVE WITHOUT NEEDING TO BE LOVED,
APRRECIATE WHAT YOU________(16),
AND DO YOUR BEST FOR A_______(17) WORLD.

Speaking

Use this English expressions to give personal opinions about the topic chosen.

• In my view.
• In my  opinion  
• To my mind. 
• If you ask me.

 

Writing

It's important to know how did you feel during the activity done in this class. Remember to ask to your teacher if you have any question and add your comments clicking on "SIN COMENTARIOS".

_______________________________

Class # 5

IDIOMS OR IDIOMATIC EXPRESSION

 IN ENGLISH

SOMETHING NEW HERE???

AND HERE???

CHECK THE FOLLOWING LINKS CLICKING ON

• http://www.idiomsite.com/
• http://www.shertonenglish.com/resources/es/idioms-phrases/idioms-play.php

Look at the pictures and find out which is the meaning

Growing up, my family was poor. We often did not have enough to make ends meet.

My mother in law is so crazy; I honestly think that she is one card short of a deck.

My friend paid through the nose for her new computer.

After seeing that he was never going to understand economics, Mike threw in the towel.

If he does not start pulling him own weight, I am going to have to report him to the instructor. 

I stayed home from work today because I was feeling a bit under the weather.










All of the panic in the media and the country over the swine flu was just a storm in a teacup.

I feel as if I am banging my head against a brick wall when trying to kick a goal my soccer team partners leave alone!!!

 After the sudden death of their mother and father, the twins were taken under the wings of their aunt and uncle.

My friends had allowed the trouble to get way out of hand.

I'm scared because, it's raining cats and dogs.

Now,read some idioms and complete the sentences using the following idiomatic expressions: 

• To make ends meet
• A storm in a teacup
• To get out of hand
• To pay through the nose
• To take someone under your wing
• To pull your weight
• To bang your head against a brick wall
• Under the weather
• To be one card short of a deck
• To throw in the towel

COMPLETE!!!

1. She said: "I can't learn english despite I practice every day", so I think she will______________________.
2. My cat is running and running, it's seems it ________________.
3. The teacher didn't come to classes last week because her sister_________.
4. Sometimes I feel as if I am ______________ when trying to convince my teenage son that some of his actions are not acceptable.
5. If Martin isn't going ________, I'll speak to the teacher immidiately.
6. The abandoned baby was taken______________ of a new lovely family.
7. Sharon ____________________ for her new flat.
8. The police had allowed the incident________________.
9. Stop fighting, you both are always creating a_________________.
10. Colombia seems like a poor country but it isn't because what is lacking is new project that __________________.

CLASS # 6

A LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE

Working in an office means that you spend most of your time in a _1_ position, sitting at desks all day. The sad truth is that most of us are not getting enough exercise. On top of this, we are working increasingly stressful jobs and working long hours too. Ironically, exercise is the best way to _2_ the stress that we get from working too long. How can we fit exercise into our busy lives?

Busy lives mean that we don't have the time to take the exercise we need, or even find the time to cook some healthy food. Although fast-food is _3_ for busy people like us, it usually doesn't have the nutritional value that humans need to stay healthy and to keep our _4_ in good shape. A bad diet will lead to tiredness, increased sickness and, of course, weight gain. 

On the other hand, a balanced diet will keep you feeling strong, energetic and it will make you more _5_ in work. So what can we do? Are you worried about your diet and the amount of exercise you take? What is your advice to people wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle?

a - convenient: easy and the least difficult option.

b - relieve: to make an unpleasant feeling less strong.

c - immune system: the cells and tissues in the body which make it able to protect itself against infection.

d - productive: resulting in or providing a large amount or supply of something.

e - sedentary: involving little exercise or physical activity.

Which of the words (a,b,c, d, e) go in the spaces in the text (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)?

COUNTABLES AND UNCOUNTABLES

NOUNS

Listen

First, listen and write the correct number and dish for every letter. Then write (C) for countables noun and (UN) uncountable noun     

Letter - number - dish       (C or UN)

A- 4 ______    ____

B- __ _____   ____

C- __ _____    ____

D- __ _____    ____

E- __ _____     ____

F- __ _____     ____

G- __ _____     ____

H- __ _____     ____

I- __ ______    ____

J- __ ______   ____

Write

Now according to the picture showed before, complete the mind map activity using Google Drive one more time. Follow Jonathan's instructions.

THIS MIND MAP WAS CREATED BY THE UGC STUDENTS

Grammar

Complete the rule with the information  gotten from  the teacher explanation.

We use a/an with singular___________ nouns.

We use some with plural____________ nouns.

We use some with singular__________ nouns.

Use a/an/some

• I’d like____ sugar in my coffee.
• _____ onion is ______ vegetable.
• She needs_____ bread and ____ tomato to make a sandwich.
• Have­­____ fruit. There are ____ nice grapes and ___ banana is the kitchen.

Much and many

Look at the example.

• How many meals do you have a day?
• How much water do you drink?
• We haven’t got much coffee.
• There aren’t many vegetables in the garden.

Choose the correct answer and complete the exercise.

1. Is there much/many milk in the fridge?
2. How much/many potatoes do you want?
3. How much/many time have we got?
4. Are there much/many people in the café?
5. How many/much subject do you study?
6. How much/many have you got?

Now, tell the correct answer:

a. Yes, there are about 50.

b. 15 Us

c. No, there isn’t.

d. Two please.

e. Ten minutes.

f. Nine.