My first term reflection

I think there's a lot of difference between last year and and 4th ESO. I like beign in class with people of other classes. I like the things we've done, but the thing I enjoy the most is writting on the blog. I think it's a good idea for students to express themselves. I thik all the tasks and my worlds have helped me a lot. I liked when we saw the movie, Sleepy Hollow, too. For me, the think I've liked less is the "My hero" task. I didn't know what to say.

For the second term I would like to work with songs, translating lyrics... I would like to see more movies because for me it's really helpful, it makes you listen to what they're saying and different ways of talking. I think that we should do more speaking activities because pronunciation is very important, too.

Generally, I like the activities we did this term and how were the classes.

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MY WORLD: The fly

The fly is a story written by George Langelaan. I've read it in English class.

It's the story of a man named François Delambre who lives in Paris and owns a factory. One night, his sister-in-law, Hélène, calls him and tells him she has killed his husband André in the steam hammer of the factory and that he has to warn the police to go there. François and Commisaire Charas go then to the factory where the police has already arrived. André's body is found under the steam hammer, and Hélène insists that she has killed him. Commisaire Charas and François himself ask her a lot of questions but she refuses to reply to the most important ones, about André's death and why she killed him. Hélène is declared mad and sent to an asylum for the criminally insane. Her and André's son, Henri, goes to live with François. In the asylum, Hélène is obsessed on catching flies, examine them and  then release them. One day Henri explains to François that he had found a strange fly the day his father died, that his mother made him release it but then asked him to find it again. François goes to the asylum and talks to Hélène, that finally gives him some papers that contain her confession.
Hélène's confession explains that her husband was doing strange experiments. He could transfer objects and animals from one booth to another (in the next room), allowing him to teleport things. One day he did an experiment trying to transfer himself, but a fly got intoe booth and the result is that he ends up having an arm and the head of a fly, and that there's a fly with a white head and a strange leg. The only way to reverse the experiment wasgetting him and the fly again in the booth, and that's why Hélène wants to find the strange fly. Hélène helped André but another experiment went wrong and André said that Hélène had to kill him with the steam hammer because he was a monster. She did it.

After reading the confession, François shows it to Commisaire Charas. Hélène has commit suicide in the asylum, but the proof is the confession. Althought the Commisaire and François burn the papers. François says then that in the cementery he killed a fly with a white head.

I really like this story. It's mysterious and impactant. I think that the writer has a great imagination by reading this. It's a sad story too, but I don't understand why the strange fly was so important if André was already dead.

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MY WORLD: The Landlady

The Landlady is a story written by Roald Dahl. I've read this story in English class.
It's the story of a seventeen years old boy named Billy Weaver who has to go to Bath for work issues. It's late night when he arrives to the city, so he starts to search for a cheap hotel. Then he sees a house with a big sign on the window that offers bed and breakfast. He is welcomed into the house by an old lady, the owner of the hotel. She says that Billy is the only guest she has had in years. She's a bit strange and is all the time saying how handsome Billy is, which is a bit annoying for the young man. Billy discovers that, in the hotel, there have only been two other guests: Christopher Mulholland and Gregory Temple. Those names are familiar to Billy, but he can't remember why. When he asks the old lady, she doesn't answer. He also discovers that there are a parrot and a dog that have passed a taxidermy process. The old lady offers tea to Billy all the time and says that Mr. Temple and Mr. Mulholland never left, that they're still in the house.

Althought Billy doesn't realize what's the problem in the story, I do. If I was him I would have run away from the house. It's obvious that the old woman has two stuffed humans in the house, Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Temple. It's obvious too that she wants to do the same with Billy. She's going to kill him and he doesn't notice! I'm sorry but I think Billy is not very clever. I find that this is a very sinister story, but I liked it. Now I know that it's not good staying at a house where you're the only guest and where there are stuffed animals and a creepy old lady. I'm never going to do that after reading this story. Never ever.

The Landlady

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MY WORLD: Preparing FIRST - Writting 2

As soon as Roy opened the door, he knew something was wrong. He walked into the living room, but found nothing. He stepped into the kitchen, nothing again. The feeling of loss filled the air. What had happened? Where were his parents? And his sister? Even his dog had disappeared. He went up stairs.

"Mom?" he called, but he recieved no answer. "This is no longer funny!"

He didn't find anything so he went downstairs and outside, to the garden. As soon as he passed a few trees, there was a lot of different sounds filling the air, and a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROY!" was heard. There they were. His parents, his sister, his dog and all of his friends and family. They had scared him!

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MY WORLD: Preparing FIRST - Writting 1

Email

From: Míriam López

Sent: 20th July 2008

Subject: Getting fit

Hi Jennie!
Sorry but I can't go running in the mornings with you because, unfortunately, I use to wake up just in time to get to the school bus. I know it's not a very good excuse but it's very important to me because it's the only way I can get to the highschool.

There are some gyms in our street. It's only ten minutes from your house, and I've heard they're well equiped.

I think that you'll get enough exercise if you go twice a week if you stay there for at least one hour and a half.

About the swimming classes, of course I can teach you! We could meet the next Friday in the public swimming pool.

Well, I have to go to meet my grandmother. See you soon!

Love,
Míriam.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue

The Murders in the Rue Morgue is a novel written by Edgar Allan Poe. It's the story of a man that lives in Paris with his strange friend, Messieur Dupin. Dupin has a wonderful mind that allows him to know everything people are thinking or are going to do by just following logical thoughts. One day there are two mysterious murders in the Rue Morgue. Two dead women were found in their house by their neighbours, in really weird circumstances. The police is investigating who can be the murder, but Messieur Dupin and the narrator start their own investigation around the crime.

Personally I think that this novel is a bit strange. Dupin is a very interesting character that surprised me from the begginig with his convincing logic. The murders also surprised me because of the sadism they have. The end was kind of strange and weird. I mean, who could have imagined it? In the beggining I had suspections around Messieur Dupin, he knew too much. But I'm not going to tell you who the murder is, if you want to know you have to read the story.

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