Sotos'English

Students from theExcellence

programme of firstBachillerato have

become journalistsfor the first time

A very innovative wayto deep in our English

Culture, sport,interviews,pastimes and alot of more... will surprise you!

February 2016, nº1

Finding out about Spanish cities.

Innovating with graphene.

Music, Rock bands...

Films to discoverWhat about Quentin Tarantino 

Index

EDITORIALJulia Sánchez, Lucía Samper and Andrea Taviro.INTERVIEW TO DAVID ABOLAFIA Azahara Guillem, Andrea Taviro and Nerea Martínez.TOP TEN CITIES OF SPAINMaría Calero.FOO FIGHTERS NEW EP Carlos Ruiz, Jose Antonio Gómez Pastrana and Carlos Colmenero.GUNS AND ROSES COME BACKCarlos Ruiz, Jose Antonio Gómez Pastrana and Carlos Colmenero.TOP 10 BEST ROCK CONCERTSCarlos Ruiz, Jose Antonio Gómez Pastrana and Carlos Colmenero.GRAPHENENerea Martínez.GRAN TORINOJulia Sánchez and Lucía Samper.RANKING: 30 BEST FILMSJulia Sánchez and Lucía Samper.SPORT NOWADAYSJavier Chacón.PASTIMESMaría Calero and Marta Rodríguez.ENGLISH HUMOURCarlos Ruiz, Jose A. G. Pastrana, Carlos Colmenero and MartaRodríguez.GRAPHIC DESIGN                               EDITORMarta Rodríguez.                                  Sandra Cejudo.

Editorial

Sotos'English is a new magazinecreated by the students of firstBachillerato. We have written it inextra afternoon classes. This isp a r t o f a p r o g r a m c a l l e d"Excelencia" where we take a closelook at some subjects like maths,Spanish or English.

This program gives us extra work,because of the time it takes. But inthe end we all seem to enjoy it. Inaddit ion, when we chose thisoption our purpose was to learnmore English grammar, vocabularyand cu l tu re i n a funny way ,different from the way that we aretaught in school. We have reachedthese aims in these extra lessonsby elaborating this magazine.

In this first edition of Sotos'Englishwe are trying to show our multiplei n t e r e s t s a n d a l s o h e l p o u rc lassmates to d i s cove r newhobbies. The project has beendivided into different parts in orderto satisfy everyone.

This writing team is formed by:María Calero, Javier Chacón,Carlos Colmenero, José AntonioGómez-Pastrana, Azahara Guillem,Nerea Martínez, Marta Rodríguez,Carlos Ruiz, Lucía Samper, JuliaSánchez and Andrea Taviro.

Lucía and Julia love good filmsand both have written the top3 0 f i l m s a n d G r a n T o r i n osynopsis. Andrea and Azaharaenjoy gathering information andbeing informed, so they haved o n e a n i n t e r v i e w t oSotomayor's headmaster. Maríaand Marta have created thedigital format of the magazinedue to their interests in graphicdesign. Apart from that, theyh a v e m a n y t r a v e l l i n gexper iences and they haveshown the best places to visit inour count ry . Nerea i s ve ryi n t e r e s t e d i n s c i e n c e a n dtechnology and she has workedon these topics. Sports, musicand humour are the passion ofCarlos R., Carlos C., Javi andJosan, so they have wanted toexpress it in our pages.

Finally, but not less important,we have to mention the personwho came up with the idea ofthis fantastic project, our Englishteacher, Sandra Cejudo. She hascoordinated us, she has had themain ideas and, most important,she has always encouraged usto work and enjoy English.

Article

Interview to:David Abolafia,                IES Sotomayor's principal

Mr David Abolafia, our headmaster,was very pleased to answer al l ourquest ions. In this interv iew we gotto know more about h im not on lyas regards h is profess ion but a lsoas regards his personality and wayof thinking.

What is the best sat is fact ion thatyou have got f rom students? S o m e s t u d e n t s g i v e a l o t o fsatisfactions... If you don´t like teenagers'behavior, i t is very diff icult to be ateacher . . . I can´t te l l you that i t iswonderful to work with all the groupsbecause there are very problematic ordifficult groups but, luckily, my studentshave given me many rewards and I enjoymy job. I think that working with youngpeople is a nice thing.

So... Is it diff icult for you to choosea satisfactory moment or lesson inparticular? I would have to think over to choose thebiggest reward... You students give a lotof rewards to me but at the moment Ican´t choose one of them.

What is the balance of your work ino u r h i g h s c h o o l f o r t h e s e y e a r s ?Which aspects or po ints are gooda n d w h i c h o n e s s h o u l d w e t r y t ochange or improve? I think the way the high school works isgood but we have to improve, as it isa l w a y s i m p o r t a n t t o i m p r o v e i neverything in life and we must improveeverybody, both students and teachers.However, we have already improved in amatter I was worried about when I was ahead teacher: the cleanliness.

Some years ago I saw the center verydirty because students didn't take anycare.... There were paintings or graffitisin the bathrooms, students didn´t use thebins, the classrooms were a completedisaster at the end of the morning... Ithink that we must improve the vigilancein the playground too. As you can see , Iam critical with students but also withteachers, so I see that everybody canchange and help to improve our highschool.

-Speaking about teaching, what isyour subject ? Philosophy, although we have to take intoa c c o u n t t h a t d e p e n d i n g o n t h eeducational law, we have had differentsubjects: History of Philosophy, Ethics orAlternative to Religion as it is named inthe last educational law, LOMCE.

"I think that working withyoung people is a nice thing"

Article

I s t h e h i g h s c h o o l c u r r e n t l yinvolved in any project?

As you know, Vivi, English teacher,works a lot in organizing internationaltrips and she applied for an Erasmus +project, but we have not been admittedin this one. However, we stronglybelieve in the importance of culturalexchanges and the learning of foreinglanguages. It is extremely important thatchildren have the opportunity to go outand then host foreign students since thispromotes harmony among Europeancountries and language learning. So...this is the reason why we have decidedto organize cultural exchanges in thecente r on our own. One o f theseprojects is being organized by Nachoand it will be developed with a Frenchschool, the other one is being arrangedby Vivi and it is a cultural exchange withstudents from Poland. Apart from this,we also participate in an institutionalp ro jec t that i s ca l led « +Act i va project » promoted by the Ministry ofEducation and focused on promotingsports and healthy lifestyles.

What do education surveys reveala b o u t S p a n i s h e d u c a t i o n i n t h erecent decades?

If you mean the famous PISA reports orreports of this kind, we all know that westand at a medium-low level. We arebelow the average among the countrieswhere this test is passed, that is, OECDcountries (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development).

Is that an European study?

This study is not only aimed at Europe. Itis organized by the OECD for thosecountries that are potentially strong andthere are countries from all continents.

So our position in the ranking is in themiddle. It is also true that these testsalso have their trap because when youpass a test, you can prepare studentsfor the test. In addition, these testsenhance some skills in particular, that isto say, ski l ls that have to do withstudents' creativity and intuition and,perhaps, in our education system theseskills are not enhanced. In our educationsystem, we still promote learning byheart and memorising. However, Istrongly believe that the analysis madein the PISA report should be deeperbecause the design of the tests isclosely related to the educationalsystem in those countries. There isanother thing, education is part of asocial network and countries such asFin land has good resul ts but i t isimportant to consider that its economicand cultural level is also much higher.And, actually, this is something that isreflected on the results. Therefore, theeducation system is not better or worse,but the cultural level is higher. Forexample, school failure in our country isstill very high and the rate of studentswho retake the same year is still veryhigh compared to these other countries.

F o c u s i n g o u r a t t e n t i o n o n t h e« B a c h i l l e r a t o d e e x c e l e n c i a » ,how do you think that i t can helps tuden ts . . . i f you th ink i t can i nany way?

This idea that comes from a school inCastilla-La Mancha, and the idea is thatsince there is a kind of attention todiversity for students with learningdisabi l i t ies or diff icult ies, such as« P r o g r a m a s d e d i v e r s i f i c a c i ó ncurricular» to help students' learningand performance, schools should alsohave special programmmes to payattention to students who require ahigher level and this is the origin of the« Bachillerato de excelencia ».

Article

Our last year experience with thisproject was positive but we foundsome th ings that needed to beimproved. In my opinion, what isinteresting about that is not to add anextra hour of class, but to do somethings that students do not normallydo in the regular lessons and this isthe approach teachers are trying todevelop this year : to develop practicalact iv i t ies , to show students thepro fess iona l wor ld outs ide , fo rexample, how to work in a library, aunivers i ty , a hospi ta l or how toresea rch . . . mak ing you youngresearchers. I think this project shouldbe aimed at this... that is to say, toteach in a different, more practicalway.

To f i n i sh , wha t i s you r ro l e asheadmaster of this high school? Actually, a highschool headmaster issurrounded by a team that carries outthe « hard » work. Headteachers arethose who organize groups, organizeschedules, although the headmastersometimes helps. On the other hand,the secretary of the school deals with the whole economic management.The headmaster has a coordinatingrole, he is the one who coordinateswork and represents the school. Thus,the headmaster's work is focused oncoord inat ion , o rgan izat ion andrepresentation, but, of course, he does not work properly if there isn't ateam that develops all the main tasks.

"Bachillerato de excelencia"students attendingManuel Vincent's conference

"Bachillerato de excelencia"students analysing thewater from the Azuer river.

Students participating in "+Activa" project.

TOP TEN CITIES OF SPAIN 

Travelling

A n y p l a n s f o r t h e n e x t b a n kh o l i d a y w e e k e n d ? A r e y o u a t aloss fo r ideas fo r your nex t t r ip?H e r e i s a l i s t o f t h e 1 0 S p a n i s hcities you shouldn't miss!

1.BARCELONA L o c a t e d i n n o r t h e a s t e r n S p a i n ,Barcelona is one of the country's toptravel destinations because it offers fromhistorical architecture to lively shopping,vibrant culture and buzzing nightlife.Barcelona contains the architecturalmarvels of Spain's created by thefamous architect, Antoni Gaudi, whichinclude the Casa Batllo and the famousSagrada Familia church.

2. GRANADA Located at the base of the Sierra NevadaMounta ins , in the south o f Spa in .Granada includes the world famousAlhambra and a marvelous Moorish artthat involves Andalucia`s history. Granadais one of the great architectural places ofEurope, and many vis i tors come toGranada just to see the Alhambra. TheAlhambra offers the visitor, ornamentalarchitecture, spectacular gardens anddripping water features including fantasticviews of the city below.

3.SPANISH ISLANDSSpain has some of the most beautiful islandsin Europe. The largest Spanish Islands are theBalearic Islands (Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorcaand Menorca). Mallorca is the largest andbest-known Balearic island while Ibiza isfamous as a party destination. The CanaryIs lands are popular for their beautifulbeaches, mild climate and important naturalattractions, especially the MaspalomasDunes in Gran Canar ia and the TeideVolcano in Tenerife.

Travelling

4. MADRIDSpain's capital and largest city, Madrid, iswidely known for its sizzling nightlifescene. It is one of Europe's most colorfulcosmopolitan cities. Located in the citycenter are most of Madrid's most populartourist attractions such as the RoyalPalace and the residence of the Spanishmonarch. The heart of Madrid is Puertadel Sol, a large square, where many sceneof festivals, important gatherings andstreet performances take place. Anotherimportant square is Plaza Mayor, knownfor the lively San Miguel Market.

5. SEVILLA Exceptional tourist attractions and livelyfestivals make Seville one of the bestplaces to visit in Spain. It is the capital cityof Andalucía. The city is home to manybeautiful and important historic landmarksand the grand Cathedral of Seville, whereit is believed that Christopher Columbus isburied. Another significant building is theReal Alcázar, a Moorish palace withluxurious gardens.

6. VALENCIAOne of the largest and most importantcities in Spain is Valencia. It is located inthe eastern part of the country. The mostimpressive landmark is a massive culturaland entertainment complex known as theCity of Arts and Science. It contains severalbuildings such as a science museum,planetarium and aquarium that are allartistic marvels. Every March, Valencia holdt h e " F a l l a s F e s t i v a l " w h e r e e a c hneighborhood displays papier-mâchéfigures of all sizes and colors. At the end ofthe week, the figures are ceremoniouslyburned.

Travelling

7. SAN SEBASTIANSan Sebastian is located in the North of Spain. Thisbeautiful seaside city is loved for its excellentbeaches and outstanding culinary tradition. Someattractions for people are the historic buildingsreconstructed in the 19th century after the city wasdestroyed during the Napoleonic Wars. SanSebastian also has some of the best beaches inEurope, the most popular is "Playa de la Concha",which offers sunbathing and water activities.

8. CÓRDOBACórdoba is located in Andalucía in the south ofSpain. The historic quarter of Córdoba is amaze of small medieval streets and squares,situated around the Mosque. Initially built as amosque, the Mosque is now a g lor iouscathedral preserving most of its originalarchitecture. Other places of interest includethe Fortress of the Christian Monarchs, theStreet of Flowers, and the Old Jewish Quarter.

9. TOLEDOLocated on the top of a mountain in central Spain. Itwas inhabited by Jews, Christians and Muslims formany centuries, the city is sometimes called the"City of Three Cultures." Today, Toledo is a populardestination due to its historic art and architecture.The best thing to do in Toledo is to get lost throughthe medieval streets and admire the old architectureof the cathedral, the synagogues and the mosque.

1 0 . S A N T I A G O D ECOMPOSTELAThe capital city of Galicia, in northwestern Spain,Santiago de Compostela, is famous because it is thefinal destination of the traditional pilgrimage wayknown as Camino de Santiago. This pilgrimage isimportant to many Christians because it is believedthat Santiago de Compostela is where St. James, anApostle of Jesus Christ, is buried. The arriving pointformost pilgrims is the main square, Praza doObradoiro. 

Music

Foo FightersNew EP

The famous rock band Foo Fighters haslaunched the new EP "Saint Cecilia" whichincludes five new songs. This EP is nowready to be listened freely on its officialwebsite in streaming. They tried to give hopeto the French families which have suffered aloss in the terrorist attack.

Because of the disaster, Foo Fighters havecancelled their last four concerts in Europe.

Music

Guns and Roses  come back

The legendary rock band "Guns and Roses"have announced its brand new album.Frontman Axl Rose and its famous leadguitarist Slash are going to perform togetherfor the first time since 1996. The mostimportant fact is that the band has returned toits first formation, that is the one the fans likethe most.

We don't know what the new album will belike but we will know about it soon.

TOP 10 BEST CONCERTSIN THE HISTORY OF

ROCK 

NUMBER 10 Bruce Springsteen at Parc de laCourneuve (Paris, France, 1985) This concert was performed in theBorn In The U.S.A. tour. The greatconnection that Bruce created withthe fans and the great range ofmusic that he played made from thisconcert the best of his career.

NUMBER 9 M e t a l l i c a w / T h e S a n F r a n c i s c oSymphony at the Berkeley CommunityTheatre (California, 1999)

They gave a frenetic 2 hours concert inspired inCliff Burton's classical music likes. (For thosewho don't know Cliff, he was the first bassist inMetallica). It was a huge success because oftheir perfect combination between Heavy/TrashMetal and Classic music.

NUMBER 8 Daft Punk at Coachella Valley Musicand Arts Festival (California, U.S.A.,2006)

The fact that made this concert to stay inmore than one fan's mind was that they didn'texpect what they were going to see. Thecombination of visual elements like thousandsof lights and their perception of electronicmusic kept the fans jumping all the concertlong.

Music

NUMBER 7 Nirvana at Reading Festival (England,1992).They blew up the stage because it was thepure era of grunge music and as theirinventors, they dominated it as no one did.They played old songs like Smells Like TeenSpirit, Drain You, Breed or Lithium, but theyalso played new songs like All Apologies orDumb.

NUMBER 6 The Sex Pistols at Lesser Free TradeHall (Manchester, England, 1976)What made this concert a super one was thatthere were less than 40 people. As one of thepioneer punk bands, they captivated their fewfans with their lyrics and their distort sound.

NUMBER 5 The Who at the Isle of Wight Festival(England, 1970)They are one of the most successful rockbands in the history. This massive event, inwhich about 600.000 people were reunited,was the last edition of this festival for 32years. Songs like Pinball Wizard and MyGenera t ion were p layed dur ing the i rperformance.

NUMBER 4 The Beatles at the Shea Stadium. (NewYork, 1965)This performance was the most highlighted oftheir tour. About 55.600 people were presentin the concert. There is a documental namedThe Beatles at Shea Stadium, which includesall the Beatles songs from this performance.

Music

NUMBER 3 Led Zeppel in at Royal Albert Hal l .(London, 1970)The band played a nearly two-hour longconcert, material from the band's first twoalbums was played and they also managed toplay songs from their unreleased LP like: SinceI've Been Loving You.

NUMBER 2Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. (U.S.A. 1969)One of the most iconic moment of the gig, was theU.S.A. anthem: Star Spangled Banner played withHendrix's energy. Woodstock is one of the mostcrowded festivals in the history with more than400.000 assistants. Despite Jimi's performance wason Monday, about 100.000 perople camped to seehim act.

NUMBER 1 Queen Live Aid (Wembley Stadium, 1985)In our opinion it's the most energetic live performance in rock history. The durationof the performance is of about 20 minutes, it is just a curious fact. About 74.000people attended this amazing moment. And some of the songs played were: WeWill Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody.

GRAPHENE: THEMATERIAL THAT WILLCHANGE OUR LIFE

However, in a near future, i t ist h o u g h t t o c a r r y o u t m a n ydevelopments both in technologicalfields and in medicine.

Graphene will allow computers to bea hundred times faster and use ahundred times less energy. It will alsomake touch screen ductile, optic fiberfaster and batteries with ten timesmore capacity of energy storage.Apart from that, graphene will beable to reduce the charging time andhigh quality headphones will see theirsize reduced. Finally, it could help toimprove for example house paintingbecause it can absorb energy orphotographic cameras could be athousand times more sensitive. Andt h e r e a r e m a n y m a n y o t h e rapp l i ca t ions fo r th i s unknownmaterial till now.  

"Graphene is a material resulting from graphite that wasalready known in 1930 but its true utility was discovered some

years ago. "

CHARACTERISTICSGraphene, with a hexagonal molecularstructure, mix many properties othermaterials don't have, being very hard(even more than diamond), light (morethan the air), ductile, antibacterial andimpermeable among many others. Itdrives electricity as well as heat and itproduces electricity through solarenergy. It can also accumulate energyproviding batteries with more durationand less time to charge, evenovertaking copper as electricity driver.It can regenerate itself too.

APPLICATIONSNowadays, technological applicationsare very limited, now it's just possibleto develop new superficially modifiedtextile with graphene and a couple ofmore things with clothing.

Cinema

Gran TorinoF o r   t h e   f i r s t   e d i t i o n   o fSotos'English we are going topresent a special section aboutcinema... And here we show one ofthe best f i lms in the history ofcinema: Gran Torino.

Walt is an elderly American who becomesa widower and his family does not takecare of him althoug they pretend they do...just for interest. Consequently, he livesresentful. Walt l ives with some Asianneighbours for a few years. He hates them,since he participated in the war in Vietnamand he does not keep a good memoryconsidering the atrocities that were made.Problems arrived in a night when the son ofhis Asian neighbours was persuaded tosteal Walt's car, a Gran Torino.

The boy, Tao, was caught in the garage buthe escaped. Walt , after showing andreleasing his hatred, he receives apologiesfrom his neighbors, and he forgives them.However, the child's family feels that theyowe "something" to Walt and they makeTao work for him. Tao learns from this oldveteran and, apart from that, he has funwith him. However, what is really importantis that Walt learns to open his heart and hediscovers the kindness of this family.

Problems re-emerge soon when Tao'scousins gang reappears and they want Taoto join them. Now, something terriblehappens to the family and it is time for Waltto do justice for their Asian neighbours.

1.  The Godfather 2.  Schindler's list3.  The Sting4.  Pulp Fiction5.  The Shawshank Redemption6.  Casablanca7.  El Verdugo8.  Nouvo Cinema Paradiso9.  To kill a Mockingbird 10.  Some like it hot11.  Forrest Gump12.  Gran Torino13.  The Silence of the Lambs14.  Rear Window15.  Apocalypse now16.  The Wild Bunch17.  Lawrence of Arabia18.  The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers19.  Inception20.  Million Dollar Baby21.  Django Unchained22.  The Matrix I23.  The Untouchables24.  Breakfast at Tiffany's25.  Relatos Salvajes26.  Jeremiah Johnson27.  Planet of the Apes28.  E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial29.  V for Vendetta30.  Out of Africa

Cinema

Ranking:Test yourself!30 best films

Article

Sport nowadays

The word "sport" is very often used orlistened to in our lives. Most peoplewho practise sport do it because theyenjoy performing it, but we know thatpractising a sport is very good for ourorganism and it has lots of benefits.Some of these benefits are:- If you practise sport you will have lessp o s s i b i l i t i e s o f s u f f e r i n g acardiovascular illness. Sport helps youto control your weight and the level offat in your organism too. - Sport helps us to have a gooddevelopment and to strengthen ourmuscles and bones. - The third advantage of sport is thatit improves our concentration, spirit andit makes us more ambitious becausewe try to reach new goals. It avoids therisk of suffering stress.The way to practise sport has changedthrough time. When our parents wereyoung they used to play in the streetwith a ball or they played populargames which are lost now. Then, therewere less health problems caused bythe lack of sport because the main wayof enjoying was playing in the street,and nowadays most teenagers havevideo games and they play with themfrequently.

It is true that a lot of young peoplepractise sport in their lives becausemost of them are in sport clubs likefootball, basket or handball clubs...But the reason for that is maybe thatthe sport that we practise at high-school is not enough in order to havea good health. Nowadays there areyoung people who dream aboutbecoming important and successfulathletes. This idea goes beyondprofessional success, because insome spo r t s a l o t o f money i sinvolved. In addition, young peopledream about becoming rich and beingwell-known all over the world. And, ofc o u r s e , f a m o u s a t h l e t e s e a r nenormous quant i t i es o f moneydepending on the team where theyplay, their image and media rights orthe brands they sponsor. The worstpart of sport today is that it has been"splashed" by corruption in severalways. There are Olympic athleteswho doped themselves and peoplewho have hidden them; there havebeen " f i xed" matches ; p layers ,coaches and referees who have beenbought. Even the raffles in somecompetitions have been "agreed" too.In conclusion, sport is healithy and itis relevant to practise it regularly.However, unlucki ly , some sportinstitutions are spoiled and they havecommitted fraud. However, i t isimportant to point out that we shouldnever forget the essence of sport.

PastimesWord searchFind the words hiddenamong the letters.

heel ­ calf ­ fist ­ wrist eyelash ­ humerus ­

nostrils  armpit ­ knuckle­dimple  shinbone  ­  freckle thighbone­ thorax ­ tonsil

"You can find out themeaning of these words atthe end of the magazine"

Sudoku  

Enter numbers intothe blank spaces sothat each row,column and 3x3 boxcontains the

Every Sudoku has a uniquesolution that can bereached logically.

ENGLISH HUMOUR

HEEL: the back part of the foot in humans.CALF: the young of the domestic cow orother cow like animal.                               FIST:  the hand closed t ight ly wi th  thefingers doubled into the palm.                WRIST:  the part of  the end of  the armwhere it joins the hand.                        EYELASH: any of the short hairs growing ina fringe on the edge of an eyelid.            HUMERUS: the long upper bone extendingfrom the shoulder to the elbow. NOSTRILS:  e i ther of   the two externalopenings of the nose.                              ARMPIT: the hollow place under the arm atthe shoulder.                                      KNUCKLE: any joint of a finger, esp. wherea f inger bends, or where it  meets thehand.  DIMPLE: a small natural hollow onthe surface of the human body, esp. oneformed in the cheek in smiling.           SHINBONE: the tibia.                          FRECKLE: a small brownish spot on theskin that may darken on exposure tosunlight.                                              THIGHBONE: a nontechnical name for thefemur                                                    THORAX: the part of the trunk of the bodybetween the neck and the abdomen,containing the heart and lungs                   TONSIL: a mass of soft, pink tissue oneach side of the throat

Pastimes solutions