Thanks Giving Day

História: O Dia de Acção de Graças aconteceu pela primeira vez no ano de 1621. Há fortes indícios de que as celebrações começaram mais cedo no Canadá(1578) e na Florida(1565), por exploradores espanhóis. O Dia de Acção de Graças é comemorado também na Holanda.

Costumes: Muitas das tradições associadas ao Dia de Acção de Graças vêm de antigos costumes de celebrações das colheitas de Outono. Por exemplo, a cesta repleta de alimentos simboliza a fartura de alimentos dessas épocas.

Muitas comunidades decoram as igrejas com frutas e flores, assim como aconteceu durante séculos nas colheitas de Outono da Europa.

Na festa de Acção de Graças, as pessoas , independentemente de suas religiões, agradecem tudo o que conseguiram conquistar durante o ano. As famílias e os amigos reúnem-se e comemoram comendo pratos típicos.

O peru é o mais famoso deles. Só em 2001, 267 milhões de perus foram criados e cerca de 90 milhões deles terão feito parte da ceia dos americanos nessa data. Além da ave, as pessoas comem batata-doce, puré de batata, milho e torta de abóbora. O desfile que normalmente decorre em Nova York termina com o aparecimento do Pai Natal. Este desfile marca o início das festas de Natal. Instituições de caridade servem refeições aos pobres e mandam cestas de alimentos para pessoas idosas e doentes.

Datas: Este dia é comemorado na quarta quinta-feira de Novembro nos EUA. No Canadá é assinalado na segunda segunda-feira de Outubro.

(Este texto foi redigido pelo aluno nº 13, Ricardo Pereira)

My name is ... Luka

This song is about a young girl who tells US about some aspects of her life.

We watched the video in class and filled in the lyrics.

Here is the official site of Suzanne Vega, the author and singer.

The new students this year

• My name is Eduardo Moreira. I'm 15 years old. I like playing Counter Strike .
• My name is Carlos Jorge. I'm 14 years old. I like playing football .
• My name is Diogo Martins. I'm 15 years old. I enjoy "Ph neutro".
• My name is Miguel Teixeira. I'm 15 years old. I like F C Porto.
• My name is António Ferreira. I´m fifteen years old. I like SLB.
• My name is Ricardo Pereira. I`m 14 years old. I like Red Boys.
• My name is Paulo Moreira. I'm 14 years old. I like playing footbal.
• My name is Igor Duarte. I'm 15 years old . I like Facebook.
• My name is Stéphanie Costa . I'm 15 years old . I like summer.
• My name is Pedro Meira. I´m 15 years old. I like soccer.
• My name is Hugo Ferreira. I'm 14 years old. I like SCP.
• My name is Jose Diogo. I'm 15 years old. I like soccer.
• My name is Rui Oliveira. I`m 14 years old. I like playing pinball.
• My name is Melanie Costa. I´m 15 years old. I like chatting on MSN.
• My name is Ricardo Carvalho. I´m 15 years old. I enjoy riding my scooter.
• My name is Rui Oliveira. I´m 15 years old. I like soccer.

Earth Day

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970.Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Earth Day Network, a group that wishes to become the coordinator of Earth Day globally, asserts that Earth Day is now observed on April 22 on virtually every country on Earth. World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5th in a different nation every year, is the principal United Nations environmental observance.Many communities also celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of environment-related activities, the first of which occurred in Philadelphia in 1970 (starting April 16 and culminating on Earth Day, April 22).

As you know Vanvouver in Canada, is hosting the Winter Olympic Games. For those who like winter sports this is a great occasion to enjoy sports that are rare in our country. Here are two sites where you can find information about the city of Vanvouver and the Olympic results so far.

Vancouver
The Olympic Games

St. Valentine's Day

Every year this special date is celebrated all over the world.
But as we all know, there is a side of consumerism in all this...
Anyway...Happy Valentine's Day

Back...

It has been a while since I've written anything here, in my blog.
Well, I'm back.
This year my CEF students are not so keen on these things as blogs. I'm working on it...
I have decided to try to make them write these texts instead of doing it myself...
I'll be back!

St John's Festival - 24th June

This is the biggest festival on the Porto calendar, and one of Europe's liveliest street parties. There is a religious element to the festival, but it is first and foremost a huge party that attracts people from all over the country to Porto's old town centre - a UNESCO World Heritage Site that makes a stunning background for the revelries. Loud music pumps up from huge amplifiers set up on the main square, the smell of sardines being grilled on makeshift barbecues fills the streets, lit up balloons eerily go up in the summer evening sky, and boats ply the river with their loads of merry locals and tourists keen to get the best spot for the main event - the spectacular firework display. Afterwards revellers take to the narrow streets of the old town armed with plastic hammers and wild garlic stalks, banging each other on the head - a tradition whose origins nobody seems to remember, but which is fervently continued every year. The centre of the action then shifts to the beaches on the Douro estuary for a beach party that usually lasts well into the early hours.

in World Events Guide

Holidays

It has been a while since my last post...
As you problably know, most of my students are on holiday and some of them will be on holiday soon.
This has been a hard year...changes in the teaching system, school discipline, all sorts of reforms...
Today is the prom night for the 9th grade students. For them this is the last year at this school. Next year a new life begins...Different teachers, different coleagues and of course a new school... They'll be fine. I'm sure...

An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms based on the sample of species that have been evaluated through 2006.Many nations have laws offering protection to conservation reliant species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Only a few of the many species at risk of extinction actually make it to the lists and obtain legal protection. Many more species become extinct, or potentially will become extinct, without gaining public notice.