Showing posts with label Paola B.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paola B.. Show all posts
Jul 7, 2014
Believe in the undead
by Paola Barros
“Humans vs. Zombies” seems to be a popular attraction when it comes to grab people’s attention, especially teenagers. Zombies are odd freakish creatures whose origin is unknown, but for some reason, these non living people are appealing to adolescents. Teens are fascinated with issues such as death, blood and flesh. So, one may affirm that zombies’ stories were and are made for teens. However, not all bloody stories about zombies are intended for them since there are some aspects that are required to be present in any story to be accepted as a case of Young Adult Literature (YAL). “Bodies and heads”, a zombie short story by Steve Rasnic Tem, can be taken as an instance of YAL.
According to Robert C.Small Jr., who is dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Radford University, a piece of text can be considered YAL if it follows certain characteristics. Among them, the main character is a teenager and he/she is the centre of the plot. Although “Bodies and heads” doesn’t contain a character who is a teenager, the main character resembles teenage speech and slang. The story is centred on Nurse Elaine, who takes care of a boy called Tom. He is admitted in the hospital as a consequence of the so called “Zombie-virus” which kills people and turns them into living dead. Furthermore, Nurse Elaine is perceptive, intelligent, sensitive and independent. The interpretation of events and people are presented from her point of view, which at the same time shapes up another YAL’s features.
Apart from that, Elaine is constantly questioning herself about what she has to believe in and what is happening outside the hospital she is working at, since the building is under quarantine. During the whole story, she is in an internal conflict with herself: what is true and what is not. She needs some explanations about the “zombie situation” which is threatening people’s lives. Undoubtedly, young adults will feel identified with this character because she possesses similarities to them, such as questioning and trusts. Adolescents are in a persistent search for truth and their place in the world and this concern about the search for self is a YAL universal theme.
In addition, literature directed to young adults deals with many topics, such as sexual issues. In “Bodies and heads” we also can find a sex scene between Elaine and her lover Mark. For sure, this sexual scene will catch teens’ attention because in adolescence period they experiment hormone changes and that makes them curious about sexual matters among others. However, sexuality is not the only appealing topic to teens. No matter the genre, young adults possess a morbid fascination for stories and novels in which people are being ripped and killed. This story contains it all: death, blood and body mutilation.
Finally, a YAL text is expected to be short and, in the story written by Steve Rasnic Tem this feature is present.
Adolescents will enjoy reading “Bodies and heads” since is short and easy reading. It is a narrative addressed to them. It is unquestionably that the narrative contains many YAL’s features and we can also find in it zombies, horror and sex. Definitely, “Bodies and heads” is a clear instance of YAL.
“Humans vs. Zombies” seems to be a popular attraction when it comes to grab people’s attention, especially teenagers. Zombies are odd freakish creatures whose origin is unknown, but for some reason, these non living people are appealing to adolescents. Teens are fascinated with issues such as death, blood and flesh. So, one may affirm that zombies’ stories were and are made for teens. However, not all bloody stories about zombies are intended for them since there are some aspects that are required to be present in any story to be accepted as a case of Young Adult Literature (YAL). “Bodies and heads”, a zombie short story by Steve Rasnic Tem, can be taken as an instance of YAL.
According to Robert C.Small Jr., who is dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Radford University, a piece of text can be considered YAL if it follows certain characteristics. Among them, the main character is a teenager and he/she is the centre of the plot. Although “Bodies and heads” doesn’t contain a character who is a teenager, the main character resembles teenage speech and slang. The story is centred on Nurse Elaine, who takes care of a boy called Tom. He is admitted in the hospital as a consequence of the so called “Zombie-virus” which kills people and turns them into living dead. Furthermore, Nurse Elaine is perceptive, intelligent, sensitive and independent. The interpretation of events and people are presented from her point of view, which at the same time shapes up another YAL’s features.
Apart from that, Elaine is constantly questioning herself about what she has to believe in and what is happening outside the hospital she is working at, since the building is under quarantine. During the whole story, she is in an internal conflict with herself: what is true and what is not. She needs some explanations about the “zombie situation” which is threatening people’s lives. Undoubtedly, young adults will feel identified with this character because she possesses similarities to them, such as questioning and trusts. Adolescents are in a persistent search for truth and their place in the world and this concern about the search for self is a YAL universal theme.
In addition, literature directed to young adults deals with many topics, such as sexual issues. In “Bodies and heads” we also can find a sex scene between Elaine and her lover Mark. For sure, this sexual scene will catch teens’ attention because in adolescence period they experiment hormone changes and that makes them curious about sexual matters among others. However, sexuality is not the only appealing topic to teens. No matter the genre, young adults possess a morbid fascination for stories and novels in which people are being ripped and killed. This story contains it all: death, blood and body mutilation.
Finally, a YAL text is expected to be short and, in the story written by Steve Rasnic Tem this feature is present.
Adolescents will enjoy reading “Bodies and heads” since is short and easy reading. It is a narrative addressed to them. It is unquestionably that the narrative contains many YAL’s features and we can also find in it zombies, horror and sex. Definitely, “Bodies and heads” is a clear instance of YAL.
May 26, 2014
“Chicken” by Kathy Stinson
Review by Barros Paola, Gulin Rocío and Piceda Laura
“Chicken” by Kathy Stinson is a story taken from the book ‘101 ways to Dance’. This story is about a teenage girl who is painting a church and she finds herself alone with a boy who already has a child and is expecting another one. Although her mother warned her about being alone with a boy like him, she stays there anyway. When the boy suggests playing a game called “Chicken”, in which one puts a finger on the other person’s forehead and pulls away and the first one who says ‘stop’ is the chicken, she accepts and the game begins. This is an engaging story that has different purposes. It could be used to deal with sexuality, to practice English reading comprehension or it could be simply used for the purpose of entertaining.
This story deals with one of the most important topics related to adolescents: sexuality. Most teens have a lot of questions about this matter. This is normal and natural, and It is also normal to feel shy about rising these issues with adults. That’s why the text “Chicken” could serve as a way to teach teenagers not only about English, but also about sexuality. The development of a discussion and an analysis will help them to have this subject clearer. Moreover, they will be able to clear up doubts in a debate among mates.
Another good feature of the story is that it puts on words teenager’s feelings. Therefore, they will feel identified, because they are experiencing the similar frightening unknown emotions. What’s more, the use of simple sentences in this story makes it easy to follow the argument and it is catchy for adolescents, apart from the fact that it leads teenagers to create the scenes vividly in their minds while reading.
We think that, without any doubts, “Chicken” is a didactic story that should be used to work with teenage students. They will like the plot and feel identified with it. Highly recommended.
“Chicken” by Kathy Stinson is a story taken from the book ‘101 ways to Dance’. This story is about a teenage girl who is painting a church and she finds herself alone with a boy who already has a child and is expecting another one. Although her mother warned her about being alone with a boy like him, she stays there anyway. When the boy suggests playing a game called “Chicken”, in which one puts a finger on the other person’s forehead and pulls away and the first one who says ‘stop’ is the chicken, she accepts and the game begins. This is an engaging story that has different purposes. It could be used to deal with sexuality, to practice English reading comprehension or it could be simply used for the purpose of entertaining.
This story deals with one of the most important topics related to adolescents: sexuality. Most teens have a lot of questions about this matter. This is normal and natural, and It is also normal to feel shy about rising these issues with adults. That’s why the text “Chicken” could serve as a way to teach teenagers not only about English, but also about sexuality. The development of a discussion and an analysis will help them to have this subject clearer. Moreover, they will be able to clear up doubts in a debate among mates.
Another good feature of the story is that it puts on words teenager’s feelings. Therefore, they will feel identified, because they are experiencing the similar frightening unknown emotions. What’s more, the use of simple sentences in this story makes it easy to follow the argument and it is catchy for adolescents, apart from the fact that it leads teenagers to create the scenes vividly in their minds while reading.
We think that, without any doubts, “Chicken” is a didactic story that should be used to work with teenage students. They will like the plot and feel identified with it. Highly recommended.
May 5, 2014
John’s diary (TV proposal)
14 April 25, 2014
Dear Sir /Madam,
We are writing to express our idea for a new television show for teenagers. It was designed by us based on our knowledge about them.
We would like to begin by informing you that we are a group of teachers that see our students’ fears, doubts and problems. So, we are aware of their worries and we would like your company to produce a TV show dealing with teenagers’ interests based on our ideas. At the same time, this show would help them to realize about the decisions they make and the consequences they will bring in their future.
Taking into account these reasons, we thought about a comedy-drama show about a group of friends that are 17 years old. The group is made up of a girl, Sarah, and three boys, Thomas, Kevin and John. They met in the kindergarten, but they stopped seeing each other at the age of twelve. Life met them again when Sarah, Thomas and Kevin were informed that John has a strange disease and needs a huge amount of money to begin a medical treatment. In order to help him to get money, these three teenagers decide to make sales and organize festivals and concerts. Meanwhile, the characters will enjoy funny moments together and help each other to face certain problems such as adolescent pregnancy, drugs, death and the pressure of their parents to decide a future profession. Therefore we consider that a good name for the program would be "John’s diary" owing to the fact that John keeps a diary in which he writes about the difficulties that he and his friends have to overcome in their daily life.
To put it briefly, we are sure that our show will be enjoyed by all the families, not to mention the fact that would be appealing to teenage viewers.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Fabiana Ibañez
Paola Barros
Rocío Gulin
Dear Sir /Madam,
We are writing to express our idea for a new television show for teenagers. It was designed by us based on our knowledge about them.
We would like to begin by informing you that we are a group of teachers that see our students’ fears, doubts and problems. So, we are aware of their worries and we would like your company to produce a TV show dealing with teenagers’ interests based on our ideas. At the same time, this show would help them to realize about the decisions they make and the consequences they will bring in their future.
Taking into account these reasons, we thought about a comedy-drama show about a group of friends that are 17 years old. The group is made up of a girl, Sarah, and three boys, Thomas, Kevin and John. They met in the kindergarten, but they stopped seeing each other at the age of twelve. Life met them again when Sarah, Thomas and Kevin were informed that John has a strange disease and needs a huge amount of money to begin a medical treatment. In order to help him to get money, these three teenagers decide to make sales and organize festivals and concerts. Meanwhile, the characters will enjoy funny moments together and help each other to face certain problems such as adolescent pregnancy, drugs, death and the pressure of their parents to decide a future profession. Therefore we consider that a good name for the program would be "John’s diary" owing to the fact that John keeps a diary in which he writes about the difficulties that he and his friends have to overcome in their daily life.
To put it briefly, we are sure that our show will be enjoyed by all the families, not to mention the fact that would be appealing to teenage viewers.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Fabiana Ibañez
Paola Barros
Rocío Gulin
Oct 16, 2013
Savage Princesses
by Barros Paola & Gulin Rocío
Have you ever thought about being a member of the royalty who doesn’t behave as an expected one? Surely, most of the people have once dreamt of being a damsel, a prince, a King or a Queen. But they probably wanted to be like the stereotyped members of the royalty. That is to say that they pictured themselves looking extremely beautiful; behaving like a lady or a gentleman; marrying to a handsome prince or a gorgeous princess, who would have taken care of them unconditionally; and living happily ever after in a luxurious castle.
Instead of being faithful to themselves, blue blood people behave and act the way society expects. Therefore, they try to please everyone. This is not the case of the “Shrek” saga films, in which princesses are shown in a different and modern way. Thus, they do not follow the traditional stereotype.
These lovely and epic films intend to break the traditional expectations on women. In other films about crown princesses, they are portrayed as weak and dependent ladies who are rescued by a wonderful prince. But the opposite occurs in the “Shrek” saga films, in which princesses are shown as strong women. Eventually, Fiona, who is the main female character, is the main exponent of the outbreak of a new kind of princess. She is a strong independent woman owning a lot of talents and distinctive features: one of them is the ability of fighting. She can be seen combating in many scenes. In the first film, called “Shrek” she fights against the Merry men; in the second one, she knocks prince Charming; and in “Shrek the third”, she saves Shrek, her husband, from death. Also, Fiona and the rest of the blue blood girls give battle together to save the kingdom while men are kept in prison; lastly, in the forth film, she saves herself from the tower when reality had been changed by Shrek. Moreover, in the last film, she is the leader of all the ogres when trying to initiate a war against Rumpelstilskin since she became a warrior.
A remarkable Fiona’s feature is her behavior. Her manners are far from femininity for she acts naturally without giving importance to people’s opinion. Examples of her manners are presented in all the saga when she burps and farts. A funny and illustrative scene can be seen in the first film when Shrek, Donkey and Fiona are walking after having breakfast, and Shrek burps in front of them. He immediately apologizes; however, Fiona belches even louder, surprising both Shrek and Donkey.
The standards of beauty are the central part of the plot. In the first film, Fiona wishes to be rescued and kissed by a prince to break the spell on her, which makes her look like an ogre at nights. The surprise comes at the end of the film when she falls in love with Shrek and they kiss. So, she adopts the shape of her true love, an ogre. In addition, in the second film Fiona has the possibility to change her appearance through a potion, but she decides to remain the same, giving the message that love celebrates a victory over beauty. What’s more, not only does she resign her beauty but also her royal life. So that she embraces a simple life in a humble house in the forest.
“Shrek” films show a new transcendental version of princesses. They are valiant strong independent women who fight for their desires. Their behavior is not conventional, which makes them definitely a fresh present day referent of the new outbreaking kind of princesses in the 21st century.
Have you ever thought about being a member of the royalty who doesn’t behave as an expected one? Surely, most of the people have once dreamt of being a damsel, a prince, a King or a Queen. But they probably wanted to be like the stereotyped members of the royalty. That is to say that they pictured themselves looking extremely beautiful; behaving like a lady or a gentleman; marrying to a handsome prince or a gorgeous princess, who would have taken care of them unconditionally; and living happily ever after in a luxurious castle.
Instead of being faithful to themselves, blue blood people behave and act the way society expects. Therefore, they try to please everyone. This is not the case of the “Shrek” saga films, in which princesses are shown in a different and modern way. Thus, they do not follow the traditional stereotype.
These lovely and epic films intend to break the traditional expectations on women. In other films about crown princesses, they are portrayed as weak and dependent ladies who are rescued by a wonderful prince. But the opposite occurs in the “Shrek” saga films, in which princesses are shown as strong women. Eventually, Fiona, who is the main female character, is the main exponent of the outbreak of a new kind of princess. She is a strong independent woman owning a lot of talents and distinctive features: one of them is the ability of fighting. She can be seen combating in many scenes. In the first film, called “Shrek” she fights against the Merry men; in the second one, she knocks prince Charming; and in “Shrek the third”, she saves Shrek, her husband, from death. Also, Fiona and the rest of the blue blood girls give battle together to save the kingdom while men are kept in prison; lastly, in the forth film, she saves herself from the tower when reality had been changed by Shrek. Moreover, in the last film, she is the leader of all the ogres when trying to initiate a war against Rumpelstilskin since she became a warrior.
A remarkable Fiona’s feature is her behavior. Her manners are far from femininity for she acts naturally without giving importance to people’s opinion. Examples of her manners are presented in all the saga when she burps and farts. A funny and illustrative scene can be seen in the first film when Shrek, Donkey and Fiona are walking after having breakfast, and Shrek burps in front of them. He immediately apologizes; however, Fiona belches even louder, surprising both Shrek and Donkey.
The standards of beauty are the central part of the plot. In the first film, Fiona wishes to be rescued and kissed by a prince to break the spell on her, which makes her look like an ogre at nights. The surprise comes at the end of the film when she falls in love with Shrek and they kiss. So, she adopts the shape of her true love, an ogre. In addition, in the second film Fiona has the possibility to change her appearance through a potion, but she decides to remain the same, giving the message that love celebrates a victory over beauty. What’s more, not only does she resign her beauty but also her royal life. So that she embraces a simple life in a humble house in the forest.
“Shrek” films show a new transcendental version of princesses. They are valiant strong independent women who fight for their desires. Their behavior is not conventional, which makes them definitely a fresh present day referent of the new outbreaking kind of princesses in the 21st century.
Aug 21, 2013
“Sitting in my box” by Dee Lillegard
by Paola Barros
“Sitting in my box” is a didactic and catchy story about a young boy who is enjoying a book called “Wild animals” while sitting alone in a cardboard box. This story was written by Dee Lillegard and illustrated with colorful and attractive drawings made by Jon Agee.
The young boy is sitting inside a cardboard box reading an animal book. While reading, he imagines that animals come one by one and invite themselves to sit in the box with him. The problem commences when the box in which all of them are sitting gets more and more crowded. Eventually, there is no more space and a flea comes along and clears all of them out of the box.
This story can be used not only for teaching vocabulary about animals but also for making students develop a bit more their imagination. The development of their imagination will help them to be creative when reading stories. Moreover, they will be able to turn any ordinary object into a scene in which all kind of amazing, curious and unexpected adventures can happen. The simple and short sentences in this story make it easy to follow, to understand and enjoyable to read for children. Another good feature of “Sitting in my box” is the fact that it is a good tool for teachers to illustrate to their students the notion of space in a certain place.
In brief, the book is highly recommendable for young students who begin the joyful journey into the reading world. Above all, I suggest not only teachers but also parents to take into account this attention-getting story for reading their students or children, respectively. The story will surely become the favorite for every young reader since they won’t get tired of reading it over and over again.
“Sitting in my box” is a didactic and catchy story about a young boy who is enjoying a book called “Wild animals” while sitting alone in a cardboard box. This story was written by Dee Lillegard and illustrated with colorful and attractive drawings made by Jon Agee.
The young boy is sitting inside a cardboard box reading an animal book. While reading, he imagines that animals come one by one and invite themselves to sit in the box with him. The problem commences when the box in which all of them are sitting gets more and more crowded. Eventually, there is no more space and a flea comes along and clears all of them out of the box.
This story can be used not only for teaching vocabulary about animals but also for making students develop a bit more their imagination. The development of their imagination will help them to be creative when reading stories. Moreover, they will be able to turn any ordinary object into a scene in which all kind of amazing, curious and unexpected adventures can happen. The simple and short sentences in this story make it easy to follow, to understand and enjoyable to read for children. Another good feature of “Sitting in my box” is the fact that it is a good tool for teachers to illustrate to their students the notion of space in a certain place.
In brief, the book is highly recommendable for young students who begin the joyful journey into the reading world. Above all, I suggest not only teachers but also parents to take into account this attention-getting story for reading their students or children, respectively. The story will surely become the favorite for every young reader since they won’t get tired of reading it over and over again.
Jun 28, 2013
“The Doorbell Rang” by Pat Hutchins (review)
“The Doorbell Rang” by Pat Hutchins is a wonderful and engaging story that has different purposes: It could be used to teach mathematical operations, the importance of sharing, or it could be simply used for the purpose of entertaining. Apart from that, it could be used to teach English. The story is about a mother who makes cookies for her children. Every time the doorbell rings, new children come into the house and are invited to have some cookies. The kids make the division to know how many cookies they can eat. The problem comes when there’s one cookie for each kid and the doorbell rings again.
The purpose of sharing can be seen when the children share the cookies without complaining. What’s more, they receive the new guests happily. So, this book is a great learning experience for children that teaches them not to be selfish and to share their things with others. Furthermore, this story is didactic because it can be used as a visual resource to show students how division actually works. So children will practice math skills when reading this book. As regards English, this story could be read to children that have a background knowledge of the language because sentences are simple and most of them are repeated, such us “the doorbell rang” and “no one makes cookies like Grandma”. These characteristics will make this story more understandable for little kids.
This is a catching book for children because of the colourful pictures it contains. Furthermore, they help children to follow and understand the plot because they express the written set of the story.
“The doorbell rang” is a story that children should read because they will not dislike it. It is enjoyable, funny and didactic. It is one of the best stories for children in the world. They will love the plot and will enjoy it. They won’t regret reading it. Apart from that, this book is a great tool for English and Math teachers as well.
Barros Paola and Gulin Rocío
The purpose of sharing can be seen when the children share the cookies without complaining. What’s more, they receive the new guests happily. So, this book is a great learning experience for children that teaches them not to be selfish and to share their things with others. Furthermore, this story is didactic because it can be used as a visual resource to show students how division actually works. So children will practice math skills when reading this book. As regards English, this story could be read to children that have a background knowledge of the language because sentences are simple and most of them are repeated, such us “the doorbell rang” and “no one makes cookies like Grandma”. These characteristics will make this story more understandable for little kids.
This is a catching book for children because of the colourful pictures it contains. Furthermore, they help children to follow and understand the plot because they express the written set of the story.
“The doorbell rang” is a story that children should read because they will not dislike it. It is enjoyable, funny and didactic. It is one of the best stories for children in the world. They will love the plot and will enjoy it. They won’t regret reading it. Apart from that, this book is a great tool for English and Math teachers as well.
Barros Paola and Gulin Rocío
Jun 3, 2013
The ambitious red ants
Once upon a time, there was a colony of red ants who wanted to expand their kingdom. They wished to build markets, shopping centres, houses and flats. In order to have more space for their buildings, they needed to cut grass, plants, flowers and trees. But there was a little group of black ants who didn't like this situation.
When the red ants began their reformation, a black ant climbed up to a tree and shouted to the Red Ants: "You mustn't damage the environment!". "What's the problem with that?" said little red ant. "It makes room for new people", she continued. "What about the other animals? What about foxes, rabbits, frogs, birds and the rest of our brothers? They also need space and you’re taking it away from them!", replied the black ant furiously. The red ant said nothing and started to think.
After reflecting for a while the Red Ant said: "Oh! Shame on us! We didn't realize we were affecting our brothers. I think we should stop here. We're really sorry!". An this is how Red ants learned to leave their ambitions aside and to live in peace with other species.
The End.
When the red ants began their reformation, a black ant climbed up to a tree and shouted to the Red Ants: "You mustn't damage the environment!". "What's the problem with that?" said little red ant. "It makes room for new people", she continued. "What about the other animals? What about foxes, rabbits, frogs, birds and the rest of our brothers? They also need space and you’re taking it away from them!", replied the black ant furiously. The red ant said nothing and started to think.
After reflecting for a while the Red Ant said: "Oh! Shame on us! We didn't realize we were affecting our brothers. I think we should stop here. We're really sorry!". An this is how Red ants learned to leave their ambitions aside and to live in peace with other species.
The End.
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