How to organize your vocabulary

These are just some ideas:

1. Keeping a notebook to write down new words you come across is a good idea. However, you should revise  the words you've written down every now and them to make learning effective.
2. Classify the vocabulary into groups according to type of word, meaning, level of difficulty, etc.
   
3. Diagrams can also be a useful tool if visually organising words is helpful for you:
   
4. Writing down expressions, not just words, as you encounter them, will help you associate them in the future. Some words tend to collocate and appear in association with others:
• to and fro
• see you later
• do one's homework
• to make a noise
• to be in the red
• and so on

Tips for learning English

How to practise your English

Keep your English alive in summer

Now our school year is over we have to start thinking of how to keep our English alive.

1. If you have failed, you should follow the directions given in class and write to your teacher if you need.
2. If you have passed English this year there are many ways of keeping it alive without having to study grammar or read thick books during the summer. These are some of the  things you can do:

• Listen to songs in English, read the lyric and maybe even sing along. There are many websites where you can find the lyrics of your favourite songs in English.
• Watch our favourite TV programmes and films in English and even read the subtitles in English. this is a good option if we can't grasp much of what is being said.
• There is an interesting website where you can find short audio files to practise your English, audio-lingua.eu. Just choose levels A1 or A2.
• Read the news in English. Many newspapers have an interesting and easy to read website if we are learning English: USA Today, BBC English, Time, Newsweek, New York Times, etc. or choose a specific newspaper for English language learners, such as News in Levels.
• It's also a good occasion to have a look at the materials we've been making this year for our eTwinning project, The Voice of Europe.
• And finally, just pay attention of whatever you see around. There are lots of notices, instruction booklets, etc. in English and you can certainly understand more than you problably think.

Tips for learning English

by Luana Fischer-Banco Imágenes ITE

It is always a good time to try and improve the way you are learning a language. There is some advice that you might find useful in "10 Tips for Language Learning success". This is a summary of these 10 important tips:   

1. Set realistic expectations . Don't try to learn more than it is reasonable to do. Be realistic and set goals that you can finally achieve.    
2. Break study time into smaller chunks. Shorter periods of study time are more effective than longer periods, so try to find short periods for your study time several times a day or between other school subjects you have to study.    
3. Learn vocabulary effectively. Vocabulary is essential in any language, use different techniques that might help you: flash cards, a notebok, dictionaries, etc.    
4. Practice language actively, read texts and vocabulary orally or aloud because speaking helps a lot.    
5. Do homework conscientiously. Homework can be useful if you spend some extra time, look up new words, pay attention, etc.    
6. Form study groups. Work with your classmates to practice the language. All of you will benefit from one another.    
7. Identify your learning style. Every person learns differently, maybe you are better at grammar, learning vocabulary... or you remember things that you see better than those that you hear. Just identify your style and make the most of it. This website provides a questionnaire that might help you find your learning style.    
8. Maximaze your language exposure. Be in contact with English as much as possible: DVDs, television, songs, speaking to foreigners...    
9. Spend time on task, don't waste any time, try to do extra activities for learning English whenever you have finished the activity you are supposed to do.    
10. Communicate with your instructor. If you have a teacher, make the most of it. Don't concentrate on marks, try to learn