Merry Christmas everyone!

Geography Projects (TNCs) 9A & 9B

Congratulations! Well done! Keep your work & effort up next year too! 
I just wish all the TNCs in the world will be looking after their employees and the environment as much as some of your TNCs said in your projects :-)

Geography Projects 7A, 7B and 7C

Here you have all the projects of Geography about Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunami. Well done everybody!

7C History Project

Well done 7C but as I said to the other groups try to improve work and presentation in the next projects. Follow the tips and feedback I just gave you for this one.

7B History Project

This is the turn of all students in 7B and their projects. As I said to 7A, well done but try to improve a little bit more for the next ones.

Important Information for Year 7s

If you have failed HISTORY this 1st term..... 
Who?
Failed students must do a little essay/project about 1066. 
What?
You must explain the importance of that year in the history of Britain. Name of battles, people involved, kings, etc. 
You may use pictures and drawings too. 
How?
It must be done in paper as a little project of at least 5 to 10 pages or as a poster. 
When?
The deadline when this must be handed in will be the 1st week in the school after the Christmas holidays. 

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If you have failed GEOGRAPHY this 1st term..... 
Who?
Failed students must do a little essay/project about an earthquake, volcano and tsunami (3 of them). 
What?
You must choose a real case study for each of the natural disasters and explain all about it as you did in the project (Remember that in that project you just used one example, this time you need to work more and do 3 in total). 
You may use pictures and drawings too. 
How?
It must be done in paper as a little project of at least 5 to 10 pages or as a poster. 
When?
The deadline when this must be handed in will be the 1st week in the school after the Christmas holidays. 

7A History Project

Just a quick note to post some pictures about your end of term projects " Evolution of Weapons, Castles and Armours". Well done for most of you and try to improve the projects next year.

Year 11s IGCSE Past Papers

Just a quick message for year 11s Geography. I am posting a link here about CIE (Cambridge International Examinations web page) so you can download some past papers and practice at home during the Christmas holidays. I recomend you to download Papers 12 / 22 / 42 (the papers with a 2 at the end are the ones we do in international schools abroad in Europe)

http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/middlesec/igcse/subject?assdef_id=859

ESO Projects (complimentary hours of English)

Dear ESO students,

You have been working nicely in many different projects during the first term. I just hope you improve your skills for the following term and you follow my given advice and feedback.
Here you have the pictures of the last project (four groups). I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013.

Mr. Legaz

Updated information about the 2nd TERM

Information about the second term is ready on the web page. Have a look on your "year tag" and you will get the information in advance about test, books, projects, etc

Time to think about others...

We are about to finish this first term, we have been working very hard during almost four months and we are all very excited with the well deserved Christmas holidays.
Many of you are involved in the Christmas concert and you are doing a great job with a commun aim to  collect money for Save the Children. It means a lot, because you are making a big effort to get something extra for people that really need it. As you are working on helping others I think it could be a good opportunity to have a look to these webpages:  

http://nosinjuguetes.es 
http://www.facebook.com/nosinjuguetes

I am posting in spanish the aims of this group of people and maybe you can help them too. Many families and children like you will be very happy if you can help them out with something.

Have a nice Christmas time.

Mr Legaz

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This is the information of the group on facebook where you can give a hand 
(Remember: ask your parents first)

Hola, amigos. Este grupo está creado para facilitar el envío de juguetes en estas Navidades a niños de familias que estén atravesando problemas económicos. El grupo permanecerá operativo hasta el 3 de enero de 2013.
En la web NoSinJuguetes.es metéis vuestros datos en un simple cuestionario para donar o recibir juguetes. También podéis enviar un mail a NiUnNinoSinJuguetes@gmail.com o usar este telé

fono: 638919894, pero es mucho más eficaz utilizar la web.

Funciona de este modo: quienes necesitéis juguetes tenéis que rellenar un simple cuestionario en la web NoSinJuguetes.es, o mandar un mail o llamar por teléfono y dar vuestros datos, es decir el nombre y apellido del padre o madre, una dirección exacta de donde vivís (no olvidéis el código postal), un teléfono de contacto y qué niños tenéis y sus edades.

Y quienes podáis dar juguetes usados (en buen estado y limpios) o enviar una tarjeta regalo de una juguetería, también tenéis que apuntaros en el cuestionario habilitado para ello en la web NoSinJuguetes.es, por mail o por teléfono. Necesitaremos saber sólo vuestro nombre, un móvil o mail, desde donde contactáis, si estaríais dispuestos a enviarlos fuera de vuestra localidad y qué tipo de juguete tenéis (si los juguetes son claramente de niño o niña y el rango de edad idóneo).

Os iremos emparejando; es decir, al donante se le darán los datos de la persona a la que puede donar (la más cercana y más adecuada para los juguetes que tiene). Eso sí: el donante deberá encargarse de enviar los juguetes. Bien acercándolo personalmente o enviándolo de alguna forma. Hemos llegado a un acuerdo con una empresa de transporte urgente, Halcurier, que lo hará con mucho gusto por apenas 3€.

Muchas gracias a todos.

Taking notes... :-)

A video that many of you are going to find familiar...even if it is not happening in one of my geography or history lessons... :-) Press play and enjoy it!

Year 9s OPTIONS TIME!!! Is Geography for me?

Dear year 9s

As you get closer to narrowing down your options, I have received some questions from pupils asking me about next year. Most of you are a bit excited and nervous about what to do and choose for year 10 and 11. Well, it is difficult for me to give an individual answer for each of you, for that reason you should think about a few things, and you can read them all down here. This applies just as well to any subject, not just Geography.

Step 1: Most important - do you enjoy it?
If you enjoy a subject you will work harder and be more attentive. That will lead to a happier couple of years, and a better grade at the end of it. If you enjoy several subjects, go to step 2...

Step 2: Are you good at it?
If you have several subjects you enjoy, think about which ones you are best at. Remember though, that if you haven't done well recently it doesn't mean you won't do better next year, especially as the people in your group will change which may help you concentrate better. If you are still struggling, go to step 3...

Step 3: The Department
If you haven't made your decisions based on Steps 1 and 2 (and even if you have), take a look at the department you will be working in. Every subject has huge strengths, and you need to decide which are appropriate for you. In last year's IGCSE exams, most of our Geography students at Montessori School Mataespesa got a grade C / B - and many A or an A*. Is this something that is important to you? You can also think about the classrooms, access to past papers, and the staff - but see the word of warning in Step 5!

Step 4: What will you study next year - is it interesting?
If you still can't decide, get details from other IGCSE students in the Options Meeting on Thursday 29th November about the course you are going to study. You might find Geography more interesting than you thought - from global issues like climate change and fighting poverty, right down to why you live in your house and why there isn't a cinema nearby, geography is an interesting subject. Remember also that some new subjects that sound fabulously exciting might not turn out the way you think they will. This brings us on to the next point...

Step 5: The teachers
You might want to study with the same teacher for the next two years. Or you might want to get away from one you have at the moment! :,( But don't let this be something that influences your decision to do any particular subject. Remember that teachers are unlikely to teach all the groups in your year for IGCSE, and even if they do, in all subject areas teachers move on from time to time. Mr. Vallely and "myself" Mr. Legaz.... we are very busy every year and last minute subject changes may occur.

Whatever you decide, make sure it is the right subject for you. The Geography Department naturally wants you ALL to do Geography because we think it is the most important subject you could take (where else will you learn about global warming, rainforest destruction, shopping patterns and coastal erosion?) but we also want you to make the right decision. Ask us at any time if you want more advice.

Here you have a couple of videos from a school in UK giving you reasons to choose GEOGRAPHY as IGCSE. I will try to publish some other videos on here to help you with your final decision. Show it to your parents so you make the right choice!!!

Year 7s & 8s Geography

A couple of reminders...

- We will do the global tests next week(term one tests) , so you must revise everything we have been explaining from September until now. Use your book and the exercise book to revise properly. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

- Secondly, as you have noticed during this week before the global tests, we have been watching a documental that is summarising a little bit some of the issues we have been explaining and talking about. Do not forget to do a "report" little summary/essay on your exercise book as I will be marking your books after the exams next week.

Good luck to everybody and do not leave for the last minute the revision for the test!!!

Year 9s TNCs

The TEST is coming, as you know already it has been set up for next week (27/11/12). 
I just wanted to show the importance about all the issues we are explaining in our geography lessons. Here you have a link to a spanish newspaper, they are explaining the problems with TNCs and the tricks they do to pay less. It could be a problem in many european economies and they are going to take some actions against them. 

http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2012/11/20/agencias/1353412104_862384.html

Reminders for Geography year 7s and a change for 7B

Just a quick reminder about dates of global test and a change for date of the exam of 7B.


- TEST (Global test / Term test)

7A (28/11/12) 

7B (26/11/12)   (instead of 29th)

7C (26/11/12)



GOOD LUCK!!! 

Year 9s... TNCs

Last year I posted this video, I think it is very useful because we have explained in detail how TNCs with headquarters based on MEDCs, are taking advantage of LEDCs to produce as much as they want to increase their profits, keeping costs of production very low.
Well, here you have again. It summarises everything and links a little bit with our next topic about China that we will see next  term, as a country which is growing fast because many of the goods that we buy are produced cheaply there. Have a look to the video and be brave to create your own. We could be posting it here. The video on here was created by a year 9 from UK.

Year 8s...Weather and Climate

We just began a new unit about weather and climate. I have just explained some basic information about weather and we will explain some other key aspects about it too. All the information is going to help you to understand much better what is happening now in USA. Have a look to this link and you will notice the importance of learning geography in the school to understand what is going on around us.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20119461

More than 10000 visitors!!!

Dear all,

Just a quick message to send you the biggest THANK YOU as we have reached more than 10000 visitors in the webpage in the last 10 months (an average of 1000 per month). 
If you are curious about the webpage data, these are some of the countries we have got visitors from:

España / Spain  5954

Estados Unidos / USA  530

Reino Unido / UK  492

Alemania / Germany  286

Francia / France  166

Polonia / Poland  147

Países Bajos /Netherlands  133

Rusia / Russia 130

Italia / Italy 103

India  70

Others 2000

Year 7s...History Sources

We have been talking about the meaning of sources in a few lessons during the first term. We said that sources are the clues that tell us about the past, for example, about how people used to live, or what they did or thought. And we created three categories: documents, pictures and artefacts.

Here you have a link with information about Roman gold coins found in UK... so we must include them in one of the three categories.If you want to get house points, you must work a little bit during the weekend and for the next lesson bring me an answer where you explain in which category it must be included and write in your exercise book a brief summary of the web article.

 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19986855

Year 9s... IMPORTANT UPDATE

I needed to change the revision of BOOKS and Q&A test for year 9A (just one day). No changes for year 9B. So the final edition is this one. Have a look and use it as reminder.

Q&A + BOOKS

9A 

(19/10/12)

(23/10/12)

9B

(18/10/12)

(23/10/12)

Year 7s...IMPORTANT UPDATE

Some changes and updates about revision of Books and Q&A test for HISTORY.
It means that Geography and History revision days will be the same week. 
An extra day for revision will be added if it is needed the following week, I have been told an excursion has been set for the week of revision and maybe it will affect 7A and 7B.

- Q&A + BOOKS (HISTORY)

7A (16/10/12) and (17/10/12)     (24/10/12 if needed)

7B  (17/10/12) and (19/10/12)    (24/10/12 if needed)

7C  (15/10/12) and (18/10/12)

- Q&A + BOOKS (GEOGRAPHY)

7A (17/10/12) and (18/10/12)

7B (15/10/12) and (18/10/12)

7C (15/10/12) and (18/10/12)

Year 8 ...Coastal Erosion

Just a couple of reminders...

- Revision of books and Q&A will be in our second lesson of this week (have a look to Year 8 tag above)
- Here you have a link about Happisburgh, the place we have been using as an example during the lessons to explain coastal erosion. 

http://www.buyarockforhappisburgh.com/

History jokes

As we did last year with Geography... here you have some History jokes :-)

Year 7 ... Geography MAPS!!!!

Dear Year 7s,

I hope you find Geography interesting, I know you are noticing lots of changes from primary to secondary, but the sooner you get use to the changes, the better. During this first term I am teaching you about making and mapping connections and trying to teach you how to develop geographical skills and tools that you will use in the future. We have learnt about plans, scales, mental maps, sketch maps, real maps, grid references, OS maps, measuring distances between two places on a map, following directions, compass directions, etc

Here you have a very interesting link with information about maps. You can understand this information better as we have explained most of the information in our lessons. Do you see the importance of learning different subjects in the school? :-)

http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/10/04/google-maps-adds-street-view-to-iphoneipad-browsers/

History... interesting caves

We have been talking about the meaning of "history" and "sources". One of the "sources" we could be using to explain issues of history comes from prehistoric caves. 

I am including an interesting link with information about the most important prehistoric caves in Spain and the whole world. Have a quick look if you have time. They have done an excellent job. Enjoy the virtual visits through the webpage to most of the caves.

http://cuevas.culturadecantabria.com/

Population

Just a quick note for year 11. Here you have a very interesting link with information about changes and challenges of the population in China. Read the internet article, it could be useful as case study in the IGCSE.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19630110