• 
   My group had to present the skill "listening" and one of my mates had a sub-theme  to present, In order to have a structure to follow for the lesson and make it more atractive my mates and I created a power point presentation. I considered the slides very useful as we used it like a reminder for our presentation: it contained the information that was gonig to be exposed and examples of all the topics. With regard to my presentation, I think It was good  because I could remember everything I wanted to expose and I could notice a good fluency too. During my performance I focused on my pronunciation and fluency as well as on the content of my lesson. So I did not pay attention to eye contact with the hearers. However, I could notice that the audience was listening to my lesson and they seemed to be interested in my performance. On the other hand, my group's performance was proper because all of my mates could develop their topics efficiently and non of them got nervous and or stuck in the middle of the lesson.  topics of our lessons. During my mates' presentations I was not able to take notes because I was afraid disturbing the development of their performances. However, I was listening carefully to my mates' presentations and the content of it.
     What is more, my mates' presentations proved to be very useful for understanding the whole chapter. Particularly, I had some doubts about the content of the chapter but after having listened my mates' performances I could clarify my doubts.

                                                 The only and negative effects of the War

War has become a natural method for powerful men to obtain what they wish with a remarkable absence of moral values. One of the most recent conflicts is the Syrian civil war which began on 15 March 2011 and provoked 110,371 deaths, with at least 40,146 civilians killed including nearly 4,000 women and more than 5,800 children. The Syrian conflict emerged with peaceful protests against the government and the lack of democracy. An armed rebellion to the regime soon took hold across Syria, dragging the country into a full-scale civil war. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. Furthermore, protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.  As a result of allegations that chemical weapons have surfaced civil war became into an international contest for regional influence. Nevertheless, involving other countries (especially USA which have been involved in the Middle East’s wars) in the Syrian civil war only will develop negative effects which are:  increasing the number of deaths and conflicts between other countries that oppose the idea of taking military action, which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage to these countries.

The more countries are involved in the Syrian war, the bigger and endless will be the war.  War is nothing but the darkness in human beings which use human lives as its fuel.  In addition, global powers such as the US, European Union and Russia are evaluating the possibility of intervention to prevent a nuclear attack.  Is it worth to continue involving countries which do not belong to the Syrian war? It only will increase the number of deaths. Furthermore, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman gave comparisons between the situation in Syria and the U.S. led invasion of Iraq and demanded that the countries do not repeat the same mistakes of the past. For instance, in 1950 the North Koreans invaded South Korea. The president of USA ordered U.S. troops to the aid of South Korea and convinced the United Nations to send military aid as well, in what was referred to in diplomatic circles as a “police action.” The consequences were devastated because the War cost 33,000 U.S. lives and another 110,000 wounded people.  In addition, during the First World War more than 2 million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of these men had lost their lives. As a result of the U.S involvement in the Syrian war is potentially much greater than can possibly justify the illusory intended results of a limited strike.

USA will be affected if they take part in the Syrian war because they will gain enemies which are the countries that are in favor of the Syrian government. Firstly, the Iranian leader said “U.S. will 'definitely suffer' if it leads strike on Syria” and he referred to USA’s reaction as a "reaction of the global arrogance”. International military intervention in Syria could develop a wider war that can damage the world. The main chain of facts is that Israel is waiting for a military attack on Syria so it would give them the possibility of an attack on Iran's suspected nuclear arms. Meanwhile Russia, which agree with Assad regime cannot stand doing nothing and see its only client in the Middle East go under. Taking into account the negative effects that USA’s involvement provoked in other countries it will be a huge disadvantage for USA to get involved in Syrian war.

Another important damage that USA will suffer if US forces interfere in Syrian war is in the global economy. For instance, the price of oil is rises because Western intervention in Syria probably leads to a bigger regional conflict in which major oil producers are involved and two allies to the Assad regime, Iran and Russia.  The big problem is the risk that US intervention in Syria could ask a bigger regional conflict, given the support that Iran has provided to the regime of Assad. Moreover, the war  involves a lot of oil-rich nations. Russia is one of the producer and gave support to Assad's forces. Therefore, Investors prefer gold in times of crisis which is a safe investment. As a result, gold prices rises very quickly. In conclusion, the majority of the countries of the world will be affected as a consequence of US involvement, just taking into account the economic aspect there are more negative effects than positive with US involvement.

To sum up, the main problem is that humankind does not hate war, it loves war. War is an addiction and human beings are always prepared to develop a war even if many innocent people have to die. War is lead by the hatred of men who only care about their main goals even if it damages their own country. Which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage.

Outline

• introduction:

                                  Thesis statement: Syrian civil war only will develop negative effects which are:  increasing the number of deaths and conflicts between other countries that oppose the idea of taking military action, which could lead to terrorist threats and economical damage to these countries.

• Body:   

                        The involvement of other countries will increase the number of deaths.

                        USA will gain enemies if the president decide to interfere in the conflict.

                        The damages will be economic.

• conclusion: US intervention only will provoke negative effects.

Graphic organizer

Bibliography

Rankin, S.( 2013, September 10). “What you need to know about the crisis in Syria”. Refinery 29. Retrieved September 27 from http://www.refinery29.com/2013/09/52366/syria-conflict-chemical-weapons

Stoval, T. (2013, September 23). “ USA involvement in Syria conflict possibly illogical, dangerous”. the da online. Retrieved Septemberr 27 from http://www.thedaonline.com/opinion/us-involvement-in-syria-conflict-possibly-illogical-dangerous-1.3065781#.Ukd4xj8pkix

Botelho, G. (2013, September 6). “Iranian lider: US will definitely suffer if it leads strike on Syria”. Cnn. Retrieved September 27 from http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/05/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html

Roberts, Ivor. ( 2013, August 29). “Intervention in Syria could have untold consequences”. abc  net. Retrieved September 28 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-29/roberts-intervention-in-syria-could-have-untold-repercussions/4922454

Lobello, C. (2013, August 28). “ The war in Syria: 3 economic consequences of Western intervention”. The week. Retrieved September 28 from http://theweek.com/article/index/248827/the-war-in-syria-3-economic-consequences-of-western-intervention

ENTRY 11

Before having read the five steps for a succesful writing I used to have my ideas disorganized in my head. So when I wanted to start to write I was not capable of deciding which ideas were the most relevant and which ones were the supportive ideas. Sometimes I had an extensive brainstorming but I used to get lose myself at the moment of putting the ideas in order into a composition and I got frustrated. My focus was on the content rather than the structure of the writing. Also, I tried to use sophisticated words and phrases, banal descriptions but the structure of the writing was disorganized.
 After having read the five steps for a successful writing I adopted a more organized style in the production of my writings. For example, everytime I am demanded to write I prepare a framework for my writing, that is an order of importance for the paragraphs, and assemble all the ideas that emerged  in my mind.
Another important process that I apply to my writings is editing them. For instance, when I end my writing I will probably end up re-organizing my information a number of times before I turn in the final draft of my paper.

Vocabulary

 successful adj

1. having succeeded in one's endeavours
2. marked by a favourable outcome
3. having obtained fame, wealth, etc
   extensive
   1. having a large extent, area, scope, degree, etc; vast
   2. widespread
   3. involving or farmed with minimum expenditure of capital or labour, esp depending on a large area of land
      Compare intensive
   4. of or relating to logical extension.
      
      
      banal adj lacking force or originality; trite.
      2. 
         
         emerge vb (intransitive) often followed by from:
         1. to come up to the surface of or rise from water or other liquid
         2. to come into view, as from concealment or obscurity
         3. (followed by from) to come out (of) or live (through a difficult experience)
         4. to become apparent.
            
            
            
      5. BIBLIOGRAPHY
      6. Word reference.  http://www.wordreference.com/sinonimos. Web. 14 Sept. 2013
      7. 
         
      8. 
         
      9.  
      10.  
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

ENTRY 10

http://prezi.com/xldoto9on_m8/what-an-essay-is/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

What an essay is

An essay is an intellectual exploration of a topic dealing with a subject analytically or speculatively and looking at different arguments and evidence and developing the writer’s perspective.

Thesis statement

The thesis statement consists on what the writing is about and it includes all paragraphs of the essay. The purpose of the thesis is to give order both to the reader and to the writer. It does this by clearly stating the central claim that a piece of writing will try to prove. A strong thesis statement both names the topic and reveals the writer's opinion about that topic. It should be clear and specific. A thesis statement can also list the supporting ideas.

Kinds of essays

Definition Essay:

You take a term or an idea and write about what is. You can combine definitions with classification or other forms of organization in the essay. To write a definition essay, you’ll need to define a word that:

  1.  has a complex meaning.

   2. is disputable (could mean different things to different people)

 Sequence Essay:

You write to describe a series of events or a process on some sort of order (based on time). You write it step by step in the order it occurred.

Classification Essay:

You separate things or ideas into specific categories and discuss each of them. You organize the essay by defining each classification and by giving examples of each type.  Think about the categories we place things in everyday and the characteristics of those categories.  The topic you choose should allow you to argue that something has been misplaced.

Choice Essay:

You need to choose which object, idea, or action that you prefer. You organize it by describing each option and then giving your opinion.

Description Essay:

Your write about what a person, place, or thing is like. Your organized it by describing different parts or aspects of a main subject.

Explanation Essay:

You explain how or why something happens or has happened. You need to explain different causes and effects. You should organize the essay by explaining each individual cause or effects.

Compare and Contrast Essay:

You write about the similarities and differences between two or more people, places or things. You can organize it by writing about one subject first and the comparing it with the second subject.

Evaluation Essay:

You make judgments about people, ideas, and possible actions. You make your evaluation based on certain criteria that you develop. Organize the essay by discussing the criteria you used to make your judgment.

It is obvious the fact that using mobile phones while driving is very dangerous and put human lives in danger. Therefore, laws which regulate this behaviour are neccesary. Taking into account the high statistics data from death in countries in which laws do not regulate the use of cell phones in moving cars, we will be safer with the prohibition of the use of this element.

People in my country reflect a contradiction of being a nation of immigrants that does not like immigrants, because we discriminate them and we forget about the fact that our ancestors were immigrants . When we meet an immigrant from Latin America or poor countries instantly we considered this person inferior to us, or people who come from countries which belong to the First World and we do not even consider that we are descendents of immigrants. What is more, there is a natural tendency to reject specific immigrants judging them as a result of stereotypes that we have built along our life. On the other hand, stereotypes are not quite uncertain because many of them are true and also negative. In conclusion, we discriminate immigrants without thinking that many of them have contributed to the development of our country and our ancesters were aliens in our country.