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Monthly Archives: May 2012

The Well at the World’s End

30 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Fairy-tales

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

well at world's end

This week my students have to read another fairy-tale and do their homework online answering some questions. One of my goals in the English classroom is to encourage my students to read actual texts in English, not abridged versions, and reading tales written for children is a good place to start.

This tale is about a girl who has to get water from a well…

The fairy-tale The Well at the World’s End is very popular and there are many different versions of it in English, Scottish and Irish folklore. They usually involve a girl travelling very far and meeting a number of strange creatures on the way…

Our version is from a book of Scottish fairy-tales and features a beautiful princess with a very cruel stepmother and an extremely ugly stepsister… I’m sure that rings a bell!

Here are the questions:

1. Who did the fair princess meet on her way to the well?

2. Why do you think the stepsister didn’t meet the same fate as the fair princess?

3. Why do you think the fairytale is about a “the well at the worl’d end”?

4. What is the moral of this story?

5. Did you like this story? Why/why not?

Eve, by Anne Carey

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Fantastic, Reviews, Young Adult

≈ 9 Comments

This week it’s Evelyn’s turn to bring us a review of another dystopian novel, Eve, by Anne Carey.

Imagine living in a world where boys and girls never see each other…imagine finding out everything you have been told is a bunch of lies…

The day before her graduation, Eve discovers something horrible, the reality of which is unlike anything you have ever been told.

She lives in a world where teenagers are supposedly separated to learn different professions. But their fate is not really to learn a profession, it is something far more terrible. So she decides to run away, preferring to die rather than follow the fate that has been marked for her.

She flies to Califia, a place where she has been told she will be safe. On her way she  meets Caleb, a rough and rebellious guy living in the wild. Eve is suspicious of the entire male gender, having been taught to do just that. But Caleb does not look anything like the monsters who had been described to her.

He is kind, he protects her and cares for her … and soon Eve trusts him completely. She is then sure that everything she has learned so far is a lie and she has to discover the new truth for herself.

And quickly, because the king’s soldiers very soon begin to pursue her. And they want her at all costs….


I loved the novel, it is true that the plot is a little fast, but I liked it that way. At first I hated the main character, Eve, but when I read more and more and she starting to change I could not help liking her and I started to feel like I was going through everything with her. I also liked Caleb. He lives wildly, having run away from school when he was enslaved. He is also a fighter, and he is charming, attentive and friendly.

I liked their love story, it was is beautiful. The story is short but not short of anything.

Harry Potter here…

26 Saturday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Fantastic, Reviews

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Harry Potter, J K Rowling

This week Iván brings us a review of a book that quickly became a classic in 20th century children’s literature… the first book in the Harry Potter series!

These books are so popular it’s hard not to have heard about them, but if you haven’t actually read them yet, what are you waiting for? We promise you, they are like nothing you have ever read… And if you have, make sure to introduce these books to the younger generations! 

Welcome to the world of Harry!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, first published in 1997, is the first book in the Harry Potter book series written by British author J. K. Rowling.

Harry Potter is an orphan and lives with his abominably unbearable uncle and aunt and cousin Dudley. Harry feels very sad and lonely, until one day he receives a letter that would change his life forever.

The letter, delivered by an owl, informed him that he had been accepted as a student at Hogwarts Boarding School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

 

From that moment on, Harry’s fate takes a spectacular turn. At this school he learns spells, tricks and fabulous defense tactics against bad magic. He will become the school’s Quidditch champion … Quidditch being a sort of football that is played in the air mounted on broomsticks. He will make a handful of good friends… although some fearsome enemies too.

But above all, he will learn the secrets that will allow him to fulfill his destiny. Though not apparent at first glance, Harry is not an ordinary boy. He is a true magician!


I like this book and the movie too. Both of them are fun but, apart form that, they also teach us not to judge people by their physical appearance or dress, because what we see in these characters is their personal characteristics, their values and personality. The concept of friendship is also very important in this book. There will always be good friends who will help, support and accompany Harry, both in good times and in difficult times.

 

 

Some questions for you:

1- Have you read a Harry Potter book or seen a HP movie? If so, do you like them?

2- Do you know why Harry Potter lives with his aunt and uncle?

3-Is Harry happy to live there?

4-Would you like to have the opportunity to go to Hogwarts?

The Seal Woman: a fairy-tale

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Fairy-tales

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

scottish legends, selkies

This week we have something different, evocative and romantic…

My students have a couple of days off due to the town festivities so I decided to give them some extra reading homework.

They have to read a short Scottish fairy tale about the famous seal folk, or selkies. Selkies are an important part of Scottish and Irisk folklore. I’ve always liked these legends about creatures who are part seal, part human, ever since I visited Scotland and had the chance to go on a boat trip to visit a colony of seals living at Loch Scavaig, off the shore near Dunvegan Castle, on the Isle of Skye.

It was the first and last time I’ve seen such beatiful animals living in the wild… The way they look at you reminded me of humans, in a way, so I can understand the legends!

 

There is also a beautiful film based on this legend. It was directed by John Sayles and called The Secret on Roan Inish. It tells the story of a young girl who moves to a small island in Ireland to discover that years earlier her baby brother was taken away in a cradle by the sea folk… Highly recommended!

After reading The Seal Woman, my  students have to log in and answer the following questions:

1. Give a summary of the story, in about 50 words.

2. Do you believe in the existence of these creatures?

3. Why do you think the woman left her husband and children?

4. Do you think the man chose a good hiding place? Why?

5. Find out the origin of the word “selkies”

    If you are interested in these legends, there is a tale in Scotland concerning people of the clan MacCodrum, who were seals in the daytime, but men and woman at night. No man of the MacCodrums, it is said, would ever kill a seal. I think the story we read in class is based on this clan.

You can read more about this here:

http://chestofbooks.com/fairy-tale/Fairy-Ghost/Tom-Moore-And-The-Seal-Woman.html#ixzz1vaZJCamO

Happy reading!

New Moon

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Fantastic, Reviews, Romance

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

new moon, Stephenie Meyer, twilight

This review of NEW MOON is brought to us by Ángela, Ana Belén & Beatriz.

As you all know, this is the second part of the Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer. The Twilight Saga is a favourite for many of the students in this class so we want to include reviews for all four books. All of them focus on the town of Forks, where a young girl from Florida, Bella Swan, moves in with her father and quickly falls for Edward Cullen, a seemingly normal kid who hides a big secret: he and his family are vampires.

In New Moon, Bella and Edward are separated after an incident where Bella was almost attacked by Jasper, Edward’s brother. Edward realises that he values her so much that they need to be apart, as he does not want to hurt her or run any risks with her. He is distraught about the changes that his presence has brought upon her life.

Bella is devastated and even considers taking her own life. It is thanks to Jacob Black, a sixteen-year-old werewolf who is in love with Bella, that she manages to get herself together again. Jacob then seizes this opportunity to attempt to conquer her heart.

We especially love the conclusion of this book, which is set in Europe, and ends with the threat of a fight between our vampires from Forks and vampire murderers from Italy, who are upset about the fact that Edward hasn’t made Bella a vampire yet…

The book is above all a love story, and we are sure that the interaction between humans, vampires and werewolves will appeal to all lovers of fantasy books. It combines romance and suspense with a supernatural twist, and it is full of surprising twists and turns! We recommend it to all adolescents and even adults, people of all ages like Stephenie!

And of course, after reading the book, you should see the movie!

Some questions for you:
1. Why is Bella with Jacob?

2. What would you rather? Having a wolf or a vampire boyfriend?

3. Would you like to read this book?

4. Why do you think that Septhenie’s books appeal to people of all ages?

5. Look at this collage of Twilight quotes we found online on Books Direct! Which is your favourite?

Perfect Chemistry

13 Sunday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Reviews, Romance, Young Adult

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

perfect chemistry, Simone Elkeles

This week Joy, our bilingual student from Holland who loves reading, brings us her review of the YA novel Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles. This novel is very popular in the US and reminds me very much of our previous entry, Three Meters Above the SKY, though this one is somewhat lighter and has a Happy Ending!

This book is about two teenagers that were never meant to fall in love, but did.

Brittany Ellis is a typical high school student living in the wealthy north side of suburban Chicago. To her friends and other school mates, she has the perfect life. Perfect family, perfect car, and perfect boyfriend but this is a myth that she encourages to disguise the truth.

At home, if Brittany doesn’t do exactly as her mother wishes, she has to deal with her mother’s intense attitude and often yelling.

Her father is always gone or occupied with his job at a computer company. On the few occasions’ that he is home, he does not interact with the family and he locks himself away in his office and continues his work.

Brittany’s only relief comes from caring for her elder sister Shelly. Shelly, who is disabled, cannot function very well on her own and must be taken care of 24/7.

Spending time with Shelly is Brittany’s only real relief from the stress of her chaotic life. The chaos only gets worse when she catches the eye of well known Latin Blood member Alejandro Fuentes…

Alejandro Fuente, better known as Alex, is an eighteen year old high school student living with his mother and two younger brothers on the south side of the same city.

Because his father was murdered when Alex was very young, his responsibility has is to be the man of the house. This includes joining the Latin Bloods in order to keep his family safe. This also means making sure that his younger brothers, fifteen year old Carlos and eleven year old Luis, away from the same lifestyle. Though Alex does achieve high grades and has dreams of going to college and having a better life, he feels that he will never achieve those dreams. Therefore, he intends to see that his brother can have the life that he can’t. His life is the exact opposite of Brittany’s. At least that’s what they believe.
Brittany and Alex’s paths first cross on the first day of their senior year at Fairfield High School when Brittany nearly hits Alex when attempting to pull into the same parking space. Their paths cross again when the two are paired together in their chemistry class leading them into a relationship neither can understand nor stop.

I loved this book. I loved how this relationship between two very different people works. It was a very entertaining read and I just found out there are two sequels, each focused on one of Alex’s brothers, so I look forward to reading those too.

I love the book cover, what do you think?


Two inspiring quotes

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Quotes

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

margaret fuller, success

Our new inspiring quotes today are all about the key to success!

The two quotes I wanted to show you today are closely related in meaning… The first one is by Margaret Fuller, an American journalist and women’s rights activist. It just shows you that sometimes becoming more is easier than you think.

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.

Our second quote is anonymous and I think it’s really great…

Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to get ahead… and to think, all they have to do is READ.

Happy reading!

Three Meters above the Sky

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in Reviews, Young Adult

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

federico moccia, three meters above the sky

Finally, we have Esperanza and Erika’s review of Three Metres above the Sky...Recommended!

Three meters above the sky, by Federico Moccia, though not that well-known in the English-speaking world, was a literary phenomenon in Italy and has been both a literary and a cinematographic pehonomenon in Spain ever since the film came out in 2010.

The novel comes with a sweet story of its own: it was first published in 1992 in a limited edition paid for by the author himself. This edition was a success and photocopies of the book circulated from hand to hand in all Italian high schools, until it was finally published again in 2004.

It is easy to understand why the novel appeals to so many teeanagers… the plot is timeless as the sea and should work for anyone who’s ever been in love: Babi, a studious girl from the upper-class in Rome, meets Step, a bad boy interested in motorcycle races with a very dark past. They are immediately attracted to each other, though they both try to resist this attraction in their own way.

Step lives as if each second in life were the last; she’s ambitious and thinks about the future. They live in different worls, but when these collide… it creates an explosion, both violent and tender… and of course it is love that will make them both forget their differences and will have them floating, feeling about three meters above the sky.

This book is very interesting for teenagers , as it tells in a very intense and thrilling way how two teenagers feel when they fall in love. With his book it is easy to become involved and to see things as if you were the main character, whether you are a boy or a girl.

We think the boys will feel attracted to the danger, the motorcycling races, and such, whether the girls will easily identify with Babi, who is a clever girl worried about her school grades and her parents’ opinion. Suddenly her life changes when they meet and she starts doing crazy things that she never thought she would do, whereas he tries to leave some of the violence in his life aside to meet her in the middle…

And of course there is the Spanish version of the film with Mario Casas and Maria Valverde. That is definitely a favourite with most of Spanish teens… both girls and boys!

And then there is the “hanging locks in bridges” phenomenon which is based on this book and is now a worldwide thing…

And now for the questions…

1.What do you girls prefer to do when they are teenagers? And the boys?

2. What do Hache and Babi have in common?

3. Why do you think teenagers like this story so much?

It’s May!

01 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by laurichi78 in General, Laura's recommendations

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

may day, maypole, tess of the d'urbervilles, thomas hardy

May has finally come and it makes me want to do crazy things like these…

  • Decorate my bike with flowers

  • Make these cupcakes

  • Dance around the Maypole like they do in England

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dancing around the Maypole, a pole tied with ribbons of different colours,  is traditional in England to celebrate May Day, or May 1st. May Day celebrations are common all over the world, and they are thought to originate from Beltaine, the old Celtic festival that marked the end of the long dreary winter and the arrival of spring.

Seeing this picture of little girls dancing around the pole always reminds me of my favourite classic English author, Thomas Hardy. Thomas Hardy was born in the 19th century and was a playwright, novelist and poet. His many novels include Far from the Madding Crowd, Jude the Obscure and Tess of the D’Urbervilles. His novels give us a vision of pastoral England, and how life used to be in the old times before modern technology conquered us.

One of my favourite novels by Hardy is Tess of the D’Urbervilles, the tragic story of a young, poor, innocent girl from a village who is raped by Alec D’Urberville, a distant relative of her family supposedly related to the nobility. This happened at a time when rape was not talked about and most girls held themselves responsible for it when it happened.

Tragically, she gets pregnant and gives birth to a baby boy, who is poorly and soon dies. Then, attempting to forget it all, she moves to a nearby farm to milk cows. It is there that she meets Angel Clare, the clever and kind son of a priest. He is also working there, and they fall madly in love. To Angel, she is the epitome of virginal innocence. They get married but with disastrous consequences, as Tess fails to tell him of her previous trauma before their wedding night…

Even though the story is really sad and the ending is tragic, I loved this book when I first read it when I was 18, and I loved the film, a classic by Roman Polanski. The film is definitely recommended viewing…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There have also been several TV series adaptations for British television, and it is from one of them (the one featuring Gema Arterton as Tess, from 2008) that I found this picture of girls dancing around the pole holding flower bouquets.

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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark to read. (Groucho Marx)

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This blog is managed by Laurichi78 and students of Bachillerato 1st year at IES Fuente Lucena, Alhaurín El Grande, Málaga.

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