A special gift for Christmas

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI  by o´Henry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2VFgHGKzx4

Watch the video and compare what are the differences and similarities with the story you have read by O´Henry.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Altruism and Kindness

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

The tree keeps on giving to the boy until it has nothing left to give. The boy on the other hand does not give anything to the tree.

1. Do you think the boy is selfish? Why or why not?
2. Is there a word for someone who keeps on giving without thinking about him/herself or expecting something in return?
3. Why do you think the tree is not happy after giving the boy her trunk?

Topic: The Nature of Giving and Gifts

In the story, the tree gives the boy many gifts.

1. Have you ever given something away and later wished that you hadn’t?
2. Is it easier to give something away if the receiver truly appreciates the gift?
3. When you give something to someone, do you expect something in return?
4. When you are given something, do you feel that you owe something to the person who gave you the gift?
5. Would you give something you really need to someone you love if they really need it, too?

Topic: The Nature of Love

Early in the book, we read that the tree loved the boy.

1. Why do you think the tree loved the boy in the beginning?
2. Why do you think the boy loved the tree?
3. Are the two “loves” the same type of love?
4. Do people need to have a reason to love someone?
5. Do you treat people that you love differently from the ones that you don’t?
6. When you love someone, how do you show him or her that you love them?
7. Have you ever been angry with someone you love because they went away for a while, or because they did something you did not like?
8. Can you be angry with someone and love them at the same time?

Topic: Happiness

The tree is not really happy after giving the boy her trunk.

1. Is the boy happy at the end of the story?
2. Is the tree happy?
3. If you were the tree would you be happy? Why?
4. Have you ever done something just to make someone happy?
5. Does doing things to make others happy make you happy?
6. Do you need others in order to be happy?
7. Do you need a reason to be happy, or can you be happy for no reason at all?
8. Can you be happy and sad at the same time?

As soon as I reached England

As soon as I reached England...

    As soon as I reached England, the biggest smile appeared in my face. It was cloudy (as usual) and soon little drops caressed my face. I didn't notice. I breathed deeply and the salty air with tree's perfume, flooded my lungs. That was the air I knew the best. I stayed sitting in a beautiful park. It had a lot of magnificent trees. The aroma of the trees became more intense while the sun appeared for a few minutes. The sunlight didn't reach my skin, cause lots of leaves stopped it. Suddenly the sun hid and the darkest clouds I've ever seen occupied the sky. In a moment, a fierce rain approached. So I decided to go to my lonely and warm home. I needed to rest.

by Sara Gimenez. 2ºD

                                                      THE DIAMOND

I walked slowly down the dark passage holding a candle .

Even with the candle it was dark . I walked for about half an hour , when I decided to stop for some minutes . When I saw the candle , it was half burned . At that moment , I knew I had to go faster if I wanted to know what was at the end of the passage . Five minutes later , I felt down . Luckily , I was well .

There were a lot of old tombs , with dead people inside , of course . It was a bit disgusting.

At the end of the passage I could see something.

It was the diamond of John Mahune !

Lucia Santos 1E

THE VICTIM

This story happened on the 14th of September of 1980. It was a foggy, dark and cold night, it was the 12:00 in New York. Eloy was a young, short and strong man. He was dining when he heard a lot of laughter and he was afraid. The next day he received a strange letter. In it, you  could read the things that should happen in his future. The first thing that should happen was that someone would throw stones to his window. The second was that someone would ring him, this strange person told him that he wanted to kill him. The last thing was that a ghost would appear in different occasions: looking at his photos, in his work, in his mirror and in his bed. He was very frightened and decided to finish with his life.                   

             

                                                                                                   Jose and Fernando  1ºE

                                              

The girl of the library

THE GIRL OF THE LIBRARY



It was a stormy night in an old house in London.Some girls and boys were playing poker.  Suddenly,the girls and some boys start Ted hearing strange moisés from the library.A boy said that the strange noises were the screams of a girl. So he went to see what happened.He went to the library,but the screams stopped.When he was going to return to their room,he saw a shadow of a girl,And then he though thet the shadow had dissapeared,but…this was not true.

• Years passed and people never saw him.People thought someone assesinated him,and when someone enters at night in the library you Can always hear screams of that girl.
• THE END

BY:Marta Caudet and Sergio Juarez.

CLASS:1ºE

THE HAUNTED HOUSE

One day bad things happened in the house where I lived. I sensed that there was something very bad. In the nights I heard noises, like a hand scratching on the wall and the dogs howled a lot. Then my cousin decided to come to my house. She took the bus and I went to the station to pick her up. When she arrived everything seemed to be nice.

Suddenly we were playing hide and seek, later my cousin went to get something and I was alone. I began to feel an indescribable fear. I had never felt anything like that; it seemed that something or someone was behind me, watching me. Then I rushed out, because I couldn’t stand that thing behind me.
In the end, my family and I left the house because we heard that the ghost of a beautiful lady people lived there.

Amy

One day, I was at home. The telephone rang and I went to get it.

'Hello?' I said.

'Hello, Sam. My name's Amy.' She said.

'Hello Amy. Who are you?' I replied.

'I'm a punished soul... and I need your help.' And later, she hung up.

Later, I didn't know what to do. A punished soul? What did it mean? And how did Amy know my name? I was scared. Terribly scared.

The next day, I had a flight to New York. My girlfriend was living there and I wanted to surprise her. Valentine's day was near.

When I got to the airport, a beautiful lady came to me.

'Hello Sam.' She said. I instantly recognized her. Amy took my hand and brought me to a remote place in the airport.

'Don't be scared, don't be scared. I'll just ask you for a favour. Next I'll dissapear from your life. Are you ready for it?' She asked me. I was scared, so I agreed. Later, she told me her plan:

'I'm going to get your flight with you. In the plane, I'll sit next to you. Later, I'll do what I have to do. Are you going to help me?' She asked me, nervously. And then, when I again nodded, Amy relaxed, and we boarded the plane. The flight was going well until Amy said:

'Come on, it's time. Follow me.' And I followed her.

Only needed one hour to land. We arrived to the exits, when Amy, invisible to human's eyes - except mine -, started to open them.

The flight attendants started to shout. 'Please! Someone could help us?! There's a supernatural force that has opened the doors!' People started to shout in horror.

Suddenly, Amy, smiling, told me:

'My beautiful plan is ending... it's a shame... Don't you think? I had a great time with you, Sam, but friendships aren't forever. Thank you for helping me... Goodbye, Samuel.'

After that, she pushed me...

...but I got her shoe and she came after me! We were falling into the void, when Amy said:

'My plan failed, Sam. I can't die with you. Follow your life as good as you can. I'm sorry.' She explained. Her voice seemed distant, cold. And, in a second, I was inmediately back in the plane, but Amy wasn't there... What had happened?

Finnaly I met my girlfriend at her home. I decided to forget this, but there are supernatural stories that never left your mind.

Amy, the punished soul, will never rest.

By Sara Palazzo Fernández

The Signalman by Charles Dickens

Hi, this is 1st.D graders at Parque Lisboa High School and today we want to celebrate Charles Dickens¨anniversary by reading one of his ghost stories called "The Signalman".

The Signalman (audio story).

First file

 

Second file

 

Third file

 

Fourth file