Showing posts with label Rocío G.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocío G.. Show all posts
Nov 24, 2014
Jul 7, 2014
A teen’s lament
by Rocío Gulín
Zombies, zombies everywhere! It is no secret that zombies are becoming more and more popular among teenagers and adults. You can find games, series, films and even stories about them. “A zombie’s lament” is a short story, written by S. G. Browne, that describes Andy’s life. Andy is a man who died in a car accident and became a zombie. He lives in his parents’ attic and spends most of the time wondering what he’s going to do. Although his parents let him stay in the attic, they avoid him just like the rest of the human beings do. Lately, Andy joins a support group, and he and some of the members begin to perpetuate the stereotype of the undead, that is to say that they begin to eat people. Trying to define YAL (Young Adult Literature), Small has stated a list of characteristics. As this story includes most of the features that he has mentioned, it can be considered a young adult text.
One of the most important characteristics that Small states is that the main character is a teenager. Although Andy is not a teenager, he has certain teenage characteristics. He is worried about being accepted and understood by his parents, as adolescents do. It is very important for teenagers to be accepted by others, and friendship is one of the ways to satisfy this need. A teenage needs someone who will understand him, someone whom he can tell about his problems and get help from him. Friends tend to have a lot of influence on teenagers. These facts are seen in the story when Andy becomes friends with other zombies and after watching “the night of the Living Dead”, they decide to begin eating human beings.
Coinciding with Small’s characterisation of YAL, the main character is the center of the plot. Andy is perceptive, sensitive, intelligent and mature. His sensitivity is seen in the whole story when he explains that he misses his wife and daughter, and his intelligence and maturity are seen when he states that he understands why breathers don’t want to be near the zombies. Also, he is conscious about the fact that eating human beings is not right, but he decides to do it anyway, as a way of rebelliousness.
In addition, “A zombie’s lament” deals with some of the topics that characterise YAL, such as the eternal questions “Who am I?” and “where do I fit in?”, discrimination and death. Furthermore, his story can be a metaphor of adolescents because they tend to look for their place in the world, as Andy does.
In conclusion, “A zombie’s lament” is a short story that contains many of the characteristics mentioned by Small when describing young adult literature. What is more, this story mixes some features that characterize adolescents and one of their favorite genres, zombies, making it appealing to them and to adults who like this type of literature.
Zombies, zombies everywhere! It is no secret that zombies are becoming more and more popular among teenagers and adults. You can find games, series, films and even stories about them. “A zombie’s lament” is a short story, written by S. G. Browne, that describes Andy’s life. Andy is a man who died in a car accident and became a zombie. He lives in his parents’ attic and spends most of the time wondering what he’s going to do. Although his parents let him stay in the attic, they avoid him just like the rest of the human beings do. Lately, Andy joins a support group, and he and some of the members begin to perpetuate the stereotype of the undead, that is to say that they begin to eat people. Trying to define YAL (Young Adult Literature), Small has stated a list of characteristics. As this story includes most of the features that he has mentioned, it can be considered a young adult text.
One of the most important characteristics that Small states is that the main character is a teenager. Although Andy is not a teenager, he has certain teenage characteristics. He is worried about being accepted and understood by his parents, as adolescents do. It is very important for teenagers to be accepted by others, and friendship is one of the ways to satisfy this need. A teenage needs someone who will understand him, someone whom he can tell about his problems and get help from him. Friends tend to have a lot of influence on teenagers. These facts are seen in the story when Andy becomes friends with other zombies and after watching “the night of the Living Dead”, they decide to begin eating human beings.
Coinciding with Small’s characterisation of YAL, the main character is the center of the plot. Andy is perceptive, sensitive, intelligent and mature. His sensitivity is seen in the whole story when he explains that he misses his wife and daughter, and his intelligence and maturity are seen when he states that he understands why breathers don’t want to be near the zombies. Also, he is conscious about the fact that eating human beings is not right, but he decides to do it anyway, as a way of rebelliousness.
In addition, “A zombie’s lament” deals with some of the topics that characterise YAL, such as the eternal questions “Who am I?” and “where do I fit in?”, discrimination and death. Furthermore, his story can be a metaphor of adolescents because they tend to look for their place in the world, as Andy does.
In conclusion, “A zombie’s lament” is a short story that contains many of the characteristics mentioned by Small when describing young adult literature. What is more, this story mixes some features that characterize adolescents and one of their favorite genres, zombies, making it appealing to them and to adults who like this type of literature.
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
“Down the road” by Celia Berridge
by Rocío Gulin
“Down the road” is a nice book that shows a girl who is going to a friend’s house with her mother. The girl is the one who narrates the story and she describes everything they see on their way down the road. This book writes about different situations that occur when someone walks along the street. It could be used to teach present continuous and possessive adjectives to foreign speakers. What’s more, it could be used to introduce vial education to children.
“Down the road” contains colorful pictures that catch children’s attention and help them to understand the plot. As regards the sentences, they are simple and short. Nevertheless, some of them are written in present continuous, making it difficult for children that are below 8 years old to understand the plot. However, this book could be used to introduce the present continuous. What’s more, some sentences contain possessive adjectives, making this story a good tool to teach them to beginner students of English.
In addition, this book teaches the importance of vial education. This can be seen when the girl says that the red light tells the cars to stop and they can cross when their light turns to green. It also teaches that, when there aren’t traffic lights, people have to stop and see if anything is coming before they cross the road.
“Down the road” is a didactic story that could be used to teach children many different topics. At the same time, children will enjoy reading it because the plot and the pictures it contains are amazing. This book is a well worth reading and I recommend it for children above 8 years old.
“Down the road” is a nice book that shows a girl who is going to a friend’s house with her mother. The girl is the one who narrates the story and she describes everything they see on their way down the road. This book writes about different situations that occur when someone walks along the street. It could be used to teach present continuous and possessive adjectives to foreign speakers. What’s more, it could be used to introduce vial education to children.
“Down the road” contains colorful pictures that catch children’s attention and help them to understand the plot. As regards the sentences, they are simple and short. Nevertheless, some of them are written in present continuous, making it difficult for children that are below 8 years old to understand the plot. However, this book could be used to introduce the present continuous. What’s more, some sentences contain possessive adjectives, making this story a good tool to teach them to beginner students of English.
In addition, this book teaches the importance of vial education. This can be seen when the girl says that the red light tells the cars to stop and they can cross when their light turns to green. It also teaches that, when there aren’t traffic lights, people have to stop and see if anything is coming before they cross the road.
“Down the road” is a didactic story that could be used to teach children many different topics. At the same time, children will enjoy reading it because the plot and the pictures it contains are amazing. This book is a well worth reading and I recommend it for children above 8 years old.
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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