Winter vocabulary

As the weathermen are predicting snow in Milan this week, we can safely say that winter has arrived.

Why not visit the BBC Learning English website to test your winter vocabulary?

BBC - Weather Quiz

Don't forget to visit our website - IH Milan

Merry Christmas

Everyone is getting ready for Christmas - Why not try the following recipe for Christmas Chocolate Cookies from British TV cook Nigella Lawson?

Social Programme

It's not too late to book a place at Wednesday night's English Pub Quiz!

Bar ABBA, 8.30pm Wednesday 16th December

Contact Mark at business.english@ihmilano.it for more details

Student Spotlight: Shinobu Kikuchi

We have lots of very talented students at International House Milan!

Shinobu Kikuchi is studying English at our San Donato school.

As you can see from this video, she's also a very talented musician!



Visit her MySpace site - Shinobu Kikuchi

If you are a student at IH Milan and you have a hidden talent, email Mike at dos.sandonato@ihmilano.it

Social Programme Pub Quiz!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
Visit Our Site - IH Milan

Wednesday 16th December 2009 - 8.30pm

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH PUB QUIZ

Think you know your cinema, culture and history? The fun way to enjoy a drink and practise your English! The winners will get a prize!

Bar ABBA, Via S. Senatore 14
MM: Missori















Please email Mark if you are coming!
business.english@ihmilano.it

SEE YOU ALL THERE!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's traditional for the American President to pardon a turkey for Thanksgiving.

Here's footage of President Obama doing just that yesterday.

Executive Centre Open Day

Here is a photo from the successful Executive Centre Open Day.

If you want more information on our executive courses, check our website - IH Milan

You can see more photos on our Facebook page - IH Milan Facebook

Aperitivo

Thanks to everybody who came to the aperitivo - It was a big success!

Guy Fawkes Night

Tonight people across Britain will be celebrating Guy Fawkes night. This short video will give you an introduction to the history behind this tradition.



Visit www.ihmilano.it

Congratulations, Francesca and Chris!

Congratulations to Francesca and Chris on their recent wedding!

Best wishes from us all!

Guy Fawkes Aperitivo

Aperitivo to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.

Guy Fawkes Night is a British tradition which celebrates the failure of a plan to blow up the British Parliament in 1605. Families and towns organise fireworks and fires every 5th November.

Come along and eat, drink and speak English to other students and teachers from International House.

Palo Alto Café, C.So di Porta Romana, 106 MM Crocetta

Thursday 5th November 2009 from 6.30pm

Please email Mark if you are coming - business.english@ihmilano.it

IH Social Programme

International House Milan runs a social programme for all our students. It's a great opportunity to socialise with teachers, staff and other students and practise your English in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

There will be lots of events - aperitivo in English, theatre trips and pub quizzes!

If you want to be included on the mailing list for our social programme, please email your details to Mark at business.english@ihmilano.it

Also visit our website - www.ihmilano.it

Listverse

Listverse is a nice website (in English, of course) that has lots of interesting top 10 lists.

IH Milan Conference September 2009

IH Milan Conference September 2009

Julie Sweeney

Grammar and Vocabulary for PET & FCE

IH Milan Conference September 2009

IH Milan Conference 2009

Creativity in the Classroom

Susan Holden
Workshop

IH Milan Conference September 2009

IH Milan Conference - September 2009

Creativity in the Classroom

Susan Holden
Creativity

IH Milan Conference Sept 2009 - The Web for Teaching English - Mike Riley

IH Milan Conference September 2009 - Creativity in the Language Classroom

The Web for Teaching English

Mike Riley

IH Milan Conference Sept 2009 - Creativity -it's serious Mike Riley

IH Milan Conference September 2009 - Creativity in the Language Classroom

Creativity - It's Serious

Mike Riley

IH Milan Conference Sept 2009 - Creativity and IH - Lucy Horsefield

IH Milan Conference September 2009

Lucy Horsefield

International House and Creativity

IH Milan Conference Sept 2009 - English for Sale & Using Images Ben Goldstein

IH Milan Conference September 2009 - Creativity in the Langauge Classroom

Ben Goldstein

English for Sale

Using Images

For slides from Ben's talks please have a look at his website -
http://www.bengoldstein.es/blog/category/talks/

IH Milan Conference Sept 2009 - Creative Dictations - Babeth Cartwright

IH Conference 2009 - Creativity in the Language Classroom

Creative Dictations

Babeth Cartwright

alphabet song

IH Milan Conference 25th September 2009

We are very pleased to announce that on Friday 25th September we will be holding a conference for state school language teachers in San Donato. The theme of the day will be "Creativity in the Language Classroom"

We have a full programme of speakers from 9am til 6pm.

Please contact info@ihmilano.it or call 02 527 9124 for more information or to book your place.

Business English

There are lots of great resources on the Internet to help you develop your business vocabulary. You can find some really interesting articles to read on the Business Week website. Here are links to a few that you might find interesting -

Leadership Blind Spots

How to be a better listener

Stocks: Another scary September market?

How to build a culture of innovation

Issuu

Issuu allows you to read a wide variety of magazines, reports and documents online. You can also publish your own material. It's visually attractive and there are lots of magazines on a wide range of subjects.

Video Site

Vimeo is a lovely video-sharing site for people who create their own videos. There are lots of interesting things to view and - of course - you can practise your English while you watch!

The Forest from David Scharf on Vimeo.

Academic English

Some of you may be considering taking university courses in English. There are now lots of resources on the Internet that allow you to listen to and watch university lectures online. For example, the Academic Earth website offers you access to full video courses from some of the world's leading universities.

There are videos on a range of subjects from the poetry of John Milton to Ancient Greek History.

Here's the link - Academic Earth

Biggest Breakfast

The English breakfast is not usually the favourite meal of Italian tourists in Britain. Have a look what Mario, an Italian chef living in Bolton near Manchester, has done to this famous meal...

Welcome back

We hope all our students have enjoyed the summer holidays. It is now time to start studying again!

For information about our courses, go to our website - IH Milano

Enrolments for our adult evening groups have already started - call to book your place
City centre - 02 805 7825 San Donato - 02 527 9124

Ted Kennedy

Senator Edward Kennedy died yesterday. Here's the CBS tribute to JFK's brother.

Explore the treasures of Iraq

You can practise your English and learn all about the fascinating history of Iraq at the virtual museum of Iraq site.

Wander round the halls, read descriptions of key exhibits and look at short video clips.

The Flatmates

The BBC Learning English soap opera The Flatmates is now available on their YouTube site

The English Club

The English Club


Per i ragazzi che desiderano rinfrescare l'inglese prima di tornare a scuola.

31-agosto-4 settembre & 7-11 settembre - San Donato Milanese, Via Alfonsine 40 o Milano, Piazza Erculea 9

Età - 10-14 anni

02 5279124

Listen and Learn

Here is a link to a blog that gives you lots of useful listening practice - Listen-to-English

Man on the Moon

American newsman Walter Cronkite died this weekend. Here are his thoughts on the historic moon landing.

Jane Austen

Calling Jane Austen fans - test your knowledge of Jane Austen and her work with this Jane Austen Crossword - BBC Learning English

Michael Jackson's Ghost

Teachers will tell you to watch English news stations like the BBC and CNN in order to help improve your listening skills. They probably didn't tell you that you might also see a ghost!

Last week millions claimed that they had seen the ghost of Michael Jackson on Larry King's CNN show. However, it look like the mystery has been solved. Watch the video below to see if Michael Jackson's ghost is really haunting his Neverland mansion.

EmbassyCES San Francisco

What better place to study English than San Francisco? Embassy CES San Francisco is a school situated in the heart of the city. It's a modern school with all the latest technology, including interactive whiteboards.

The school offers group courses and individual lessons - Here's a link to their website - EmbassyCES

If you would like more information regarding the courses available at EmbassyCES San Francisco, contact Francesca Pola on 02 805 7825 or at soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it


If you like the sound of San Francisco, have a look at this video - "Top 5 things to do in San Francisco"

Phrasal Verbs

Every student loves phrasal verbs...don't they?

Have a look at the BBC's Face up to Phrasals to brush up on this interesting feature of the English Language!

The Web

Here's a link to a nice site that can help you learn all about the Internet...The site is in English - of course!

Welcome to the Web

Study Abroad - IH vancouver

Vancouver is the biggest city in British Colombia. It is regarded as one of the best cities to live in.

If you would like to learn more about the city, have a look at this promotional video -



IH Vancouver offers General English group courses, TOEFL preparation and individual lessons. The school is situated in the centre of the city not far from Kitsilano Beach and Granville Island. The school also has a branch in the beautiful town of Whistler. Here is a link to the school's website - IH Vancouver

If you would like more information about courses at IH Vancouver, please contact Francesca Pola at soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it or on 02 805 78 25.

New York Times Videos

The New York Times has an excellent collection of video clips related to business news. Click the link below - the videos are quite challenging!

New York Times Business Videos

Summertime at International House

Summertime at International House
The Happy Summer Camp: centro estivo completamente in inglese per bambini e ragazzi dai 6 ai 12 anni. Giochi all’aperto, lavori manuali, stage di ballo e teatro in compagnia dei nostri esperti docenti madrelingua.
Iscrizioni settimanali dal 15 giugno al 10 luglio 2009.

The English Club: prima di tornare a scuola un vero “Club” per ragazzi dai 10 ai 14 anni, per recuperare e migliorare l’inglese scolastico. Aiuto personalizzato in piccoli gruppi con i nostri insegnanti madrelingua.
Iscrizioni settimanali dal 31 agosto al 11 settembre 2009.

Per informazioni:
info@ihmilano.it
www.ihmilano.it

Twitter

You can now follow all the news from the school - Just look for IHMilan and start following!

Fun Dictionary Site

Lexipedia is an online dictionary that not only gives you definitions and examples, but also shows you a mind map of uses and synonyms.

Here's a link - Lexipedia

Have fun!

Study Abroad: International House Auckland

Auckland, situated on the North Island, is the biggest city in New Zealand. International House Auckland is in the heart of the city and offers General English group courses. Here is a link to their website - IH Auckland

To get a taste of this beautiful city, why not watch this short video?



For more information regarding the courses offered at International House Auckland, contact Francesca Pola on 02 805 78 25 or soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it

What's Twitter?

Have you heard people talking about Twitter recently? Here's a video in plain (but quite difficult!) English that explains Twitter...

Will you start Twittering?

Word Game

Word Connect is a free online word game. It is very similar to Tetris, but the objective is to make the falling blocks into English words. Here's the link - Word Connect

Study Abroad - EmbassyCES New York

EmbassyCES is right in the heart of Manhatten on Seventh Avenue. The school offers courses of General and Business English. There is a common room, Wi-Fi and the rooms also have Interactive Whiteboards. Here's a link to the school's website EmbassyCES

The Big Apple is perhaps the most famous city in the world. No-one who visits ever forgets their time spent in this vibrant, multi-cultural metropolis.

If you are interested in studying in New York, please contact Francesca Pola at soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it or on 02 805 7825.

Here's a short video on the 5 best things to do in New York. Also see the post New York, New York from 23 February 2009.

English for Kids

YouTube is a good resource for finding songs and nursery rhymes for children who are studying English.

Here's an example - The Alphabet Song

Easter

Easter is around the corner. There are lots of different traditions associated with this time of year. One of these is the Easter Egg Hunt.

If you've never been on an Easter Egg Hunt, why not watch the video below and organise your own?!

Clocks...

Don't forget that the clocks go forwards this weekend - Have you ever wondered why we change the clocks? Here's a link to a BBC article that explains the mystery! - The Changing Clocks

Visual Crossword Game

I found this game on Larry Ferluzzo's blog. It's called Rain Words. It's similar to a crossword puzzle. You click on the pictures which fall from the sky and then you drag them to the correct position on the crossword puzzle.

Here's the link - Rain Words

Study Abroad - International House Belfast

International House Belfast can be found just a few minutes away from the city centre. The school has 12 spacious classrooms, a recreational area and Wi-Fi. You can study individual or group courses.

Belfast is a pretty city known for its friendly locals. If you'd like to find out more about the school you can check out their website - IH Belfast.

If you are interested in booking a course at IH Belfast, please contact Francesca Pola at soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it or on 02 805 78 25

Here's a video showing you some of the highlights of life in Belfast -

Study Abroad - IH London & Executive Centre

IH London is one of the most prestigious schools in the UK capital. There are General English and Exam Preparation courses at the school which is situated in Covent Garden. IH London has 52 air-conditioned classrooms, a computer lab, free internet, Wi-Fi and its own library.

IH London also has an Executive Centre dedicated to helping professionals reach their goals. There are Executive Mini-group Programmes, Individual courses, Courses on Cross-Cultural and International Communication Training and programmes to help you prepare for the International legal English Certificate (ILEC).

For more information on IH London, contact Francesca Pola at soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it or on 02 805 78 25

Please visit the IH London websites - IH London IH London - Executive Centre

For those of you who have never visited London, here's a short video on some of the things you can do in one of the most fascinating cities in the world -

What's Cricket?

Cricket isn't popular in Italy, but it's played all over the globe. If you'd like to know how to play this sport, why not watch the video below?

The rules of cricket -

Pronunciation

The BBC's fantastic Learning English website has some videos to help you improve your pronunciation.

Click on the following link - BBC Learning English Pronunciation

Penguin Readers

Many of you will use Penguin readers to help improve your English. Have you ever visited the Penguin readers website? There are downloadable worksheets, sample chapters and sample audio.

Here's a link - Penguin Readers

St Patrick's Day

March 17th is Saint Patrick's Day. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but the day is celebrated all over the world. Here's a video that explains some of the history behind this festive day.

Study Abroad - IH Newcastle

This is the first in a series on our 'Study Abroad' programmes. Each week we'll feature one of our Study Abroad partners. If you would like more information about our 'Study Abroad' programme please contact Francesca Pola on soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it or +39 02 805 78 25

International House Newcastle

International House Newcastle offers a range of courses from General and Business English to Personal Study Programmes. The school is in the heart of China Town close to the lively city centre.

Newcastle is situated in the North of England and is a great base for trips to Scotland, Northumberland National Park and the beautiful historic city of York.

Here's a short video highlighting many of the things Newcastle has to offer -



Do you like what you see? Why not visit the IH Newcastle website? Be sure to contact Francesca - soggiornistudio@ihmilano.it - for more information!

International Women's Day

Many of you will be celebrating International Women's Day on 8th March.

Here's a link to the website - International Women's Day

Queen Elizabeth II is a woman who has been in the public eye ever since her coronation in 1952- Here's what some of her Prime Ministers think of her -

Spelling

Spelling is difficult for many native speakers and especially challenging for non-natives! Here is a link to a great site that will test your spelling!

Type in the words you want to memorize. The website will then test you or create games for those words.

Spelling City

FCE

If you are studying for the Cambridge FCE exam, you might find this blog interesting -

FCE BLOG

Fun with CBBC

If your kids are learning English, they'll have lots of fun on the BBC's kids site -

CBBC

New York, New York

It may not be possible for you to go for a spring break in the Big Apple, but you can take a virtual tour of this great city by watching the video below!

Spotlight Magazine

Some of you may know Spotlight magazine. Have you visited the website?

You can find news, articles and discussions at www.spotlight-online.it

Football Crazy

On Tuesday Manchester United take on Inter Milan in the Champions League.

These sites might help you improve your football vocabulary -

BBC Learning English Football Vocabulary

English Club Football vocabulary

Of course, the manager of the England football team is Italian - Fabio Capello! You can listen to Mr Capello's English in the clip below. Here he discusses John Terry and David Beckham.

Is his English as good as yours?!?

Simona Orlandi Poetry Competition

The Simona Orlandi Association is organising it's annual poetry competition. There is a section for poems written in English!

Send your English poems to Mike at dos.sandonato@ihmilano.it before 4th March.

The best poems will be published in a book!

Associazione Simona Orlandi

IH Milan Website

Don't forget to check our website for all the latest information about IH Milan!

IH Milan Site

Love is in the air

Don't forget Valentine's Day on Saturday! To impress your sweetheart, why not watch this video and learn the history of Febraury 14th!

Comedy Show

IH is happy to invite you to the frist live English comedy show in Italy. The play, written by English comedy actor John Peter Sloan is specifically aimed at Italian students of English and native English students.

The show is 75% in English and at Pre-Intermediate+ level.

The show, Culture Shock, will be followed by the film "The Visitor" (in English with subtitles).

Sunday 8 March - 10.30 am Cinema Anteo, Via Milazzo, 9.
Price - €7.50 + 0.50 booking fee

If you are interested, please contact reception. The booking deadline is Friday 20 February.

For more information visit the website culture shock - Here's a clip

Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson is a creativity expert. Have a look at his unusual website - it's visually stunning and full of lots of useful information. Sir Ken Robinson

TED

www.ted.com is one of our favourite sites. This site is a collection of short presentations by some of the world's leading speakers. You'll need a good level of English to understand the presentations!

Here is creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson talking about how schools stifle creativity.

Useful website

Many of you will be familiar with the Speak Up magazine. The magazine also has a very nice website with video clips and games to help you improve your English.

Here's a link to the site - Speak Up

Lovely English Food

One of the highlights to any trip to Britain is a delicious English Breakfast.

Here's how to make one!


British Food:How To Make A Traditional Full English Breakfast

Other Languages

We will soon be starting groups in the following languages. If you are interested in attending a course, please contact Genya (gnahmany@ihmilano.it) for information -

Chinese
Russian
German
French
Spanish

Useful Listening Site

ELLLO is a really useful site for practising listening. You can listen to (and sometimes watch) conversations on many different topics. The listenings come with tapescripts and questions.

This is a good resource for listening to lots of different accents.

Here's an example -

The Presidential Inauguration

On Wednesday, Obama become's America's 44th President. Here is a video of the 35th President's inaugural address - famous for Kennedy's soaring rhetoric - "Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans — born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage — and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world."

If you want to read the text as well go to YouTube.

Part 1:




Part2:

The Big Freeze

Not sure what to do with all this snow? Perhaps this video from Sky News might give you an idea...

London

Are you fascinated by the city of London? Would you like to know more about its colourful past?

The Museum of London has a great website with lots of resources for adults and kids to explore on line. Click on the link below and see what you can discover about one of the world's great cities.

Museum of London

Happy New Year!

All the staff at International House Milan would like to wish you every success in 2009!