O que são graded readers?

Graded readers são livros adaptados para o seu nível de inglês ou espanhol. Converse com seu professor e peça dicas. Temos um acervo de 200 livros. Ler no idioma que você está estudando é uma das várias formas de manter contato com a língua e dar um boost nos seus estudos. 

Dica de leitura da semana:

New Yorkers - short stories - O. Henry

Oxford Bookworms Library - Stage 2

Ideal para os níveis Inter 1 e Inter 2

Happy Valentine's Day - History

Every February, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day - and its patron saint - is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

Legends

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D. -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors.

During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.

Celebrations

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)

Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

In Brazil, Dia dos Namorados (boyfriend's or girlfriend's day) is celebrated on june, 12. Probably this day was chosen because it is the day before Saint Anthony's Day, known as the marriage saint, when many single women perform popular rituals, in order to find a good husband or a boyfriend.

CNA Teachers' Gathering 2012

O CNA Teachers' Gathering 2012 - Encontro de Professores - foi um sucesso. Nos três dias de evento os professores apresentaram workshops dos mais variados temas. Ótima oportunidade de reciclagem e constante aprimoramento das técnicas utilizadas em sala de aula. Na abertura, Carol e Sandre apresentaram o tema Warming Up! onde mostraram vários modelos de atividades para início de aula. Denise e Vinícius mostraram aos novos professores como administrar uma aula, linguagem corporal, ritmo, entre outras coisas com o tema How to address our students. Lilian e Wanessa mostraram como reutilizar materiais e evitar o desperdício, uma maneira de repensar o uso de papel e maximizar os recursos à disposição do professor com o tema Less is More. Por último, encerrando o evento, Flávia e Juliana apresentaram várias possibilidades de uso e idéias para trabalhar com a lousa interativa em How to use the Interactive Board. O encontro ainda teve muitos outros workshops apresentados pelos professores das unidades Vila Matilde e Belém e sorteio de brindes no encerramento. Foi um sucesso! Até o próximo!

Promoção Who Am I? Ganhadores

Parabéns turma K2R-107. Vocês participaram da promoção de rematrícula antecipada, entregaram as primeiras respostas corretas do desafio "Who Am I?" e ganharam todos um brinde especial CNA!

Confira abaixo as fotos e os nomes corretos. See you!

1. Vinícius Chelas

2. Lilian Casavella

3. Aline Pessoa

4. Carolina Marques

5. Flávia Tozzi

6. Denise Hnilica

7. Juliana Sonsin

8. Vinícius Beltrão

9. Débora Passarelli

10. Lígia Guido

11. Willian Seixas

Atividades de Férias - JANEIRO 2012

clique na imagem para visualizar melhor

Trick or Treat? It's Halloween

Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31st. It includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costumes parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror movies. Scroll down to learn a bit more about some of them.

Trick-or-treating

It's a customary practice for children on Halloween in many countries. Children in costumes travel from house to house in order to ask for treats such as candies with the question Trick-or-Treat?. The trick is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on homeowners or their property if no treat is given.

Carving Jack-o'-lantern

A Jack-o'-lantern is typically a carved pumpkin. The top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced. At night, a light is placed inside to illuminate the effect.

Apple bobbing 

it's a game which is played by filling a tub or a large basin with water and putting apples in the water. Because apples are less dense than water, they will float at the surface. Players, usually children, then try to catch one with their teeth. Use of hands is not allowed, and often are tied behind the back to prevent cheating.

Playing pranks

Prank is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. It's usually lighthearted, reversible or non-permanent, and aim to make the victim feel foolish or victimized to a certain degree.

Bonfires

Bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. The name bonfire is believed to be derived from the Celtic custom of burning the bones of the cattle which were slaughtered at this time of the year - a bone fire.

O que o mercado de trabalho procura?

O que o mercado de trabalho espera de mim? Quais são as competências necessárias para me destacar na minha profissão? Essas são perguntas frequentes na vida dos profissionais e aspirantes, independentemente do ramo em que atuam. 

Quais são as características imprescindíveis que um profissional precisa ter, além, é claro, daquelas específicas de cada ramo de negócio? Víctor Martínez, especialista em treinamentos comportamentais e projetos de RH e CEO, listou sete talentos que as empresas buscam nos profissionais em um mercado de trabalho cada vez mais competitivo e dinâmico. 
1. Auto gerenciamento: significa a capacidade do indivíduo em se auto motivar, disciplinar, cobrar e avaliar. Em suma, ele como um módulo, uma estação de trabalho completa, capaz de realizar projetos, buscar soluções e identificar formas de implementar essas soluções. 
2. Comunicação múltipla: O mundo é uma aldeia global, por isso, a capacidade de se comunicar de modo realmente eficaz em inglês deve ser prioridade na área de línguas estrangeiras, salvo casos específicos. Há outras formas de comunicação que devem ser exploradas, como por exemplo, informática, blogs, intranet, processos e sistemas de informação e transmissão de dados. 
3. Negociação: reflita sobre sua capacidade de negociação e dê atenção especial às suas habilidades nesse campo. Isso é, questione o quanto você sabe apresentar ideias de forma clara e convincente e se sabe argumentar de forma positiva, franca e objetivamente. 
4. Adaptabilidade: mudança é uma das duas grandes certezas da vida. Por isso o profissional do futuro deve procurar prevê-las e antecipar-se a elas.
5. Educação contínua: novidades tecnológicas, descobertas, novos processos mais eficazes aparecem a cada momento. Por isso, é fundamental a busca continua por aprimoramento, além de exercer a curiosidade profissional e questionar sempre para identificar novos conhecimentos. 
6. Domínio da tecnologia: como já dizia Ayrton Senna, tecnologia faz diferença. Para isso, use e fomente tecnologia de ponta sempre que possível. Para evoluir nesse quesito, decrete sua própria obsolescência e parta para patamares mais altos de tecnologia, sempre que possível.
7. Foco nos resultados: são eles que interessam, mas lembre-se que a ética deve ser respeitada. As pessoas são avaliadas por suas ações e pelo próprio resultado. Vale refletir e analisar para qual é o resultado que se busca e o que agrega valor em termos de custos/esforços e centrar-se nisso.

http://consumidormoderno.uol.com.br/relacionamento/o-que-o-mercado-de-trabalho-procura