RAY BRADBURY was born in 1920. To celebrate his anniversary here is the beginning of "The Emissary", that we read in the class. Tirsolinos, Why do you think I have chosen this story for friday 13th?

🐕🐕🐕👦👀👀🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍂🍂HE knew it was autumn again, because Dog came running into the house bringing the windy cold smell of autumn with him. In every black dog-hair, he carried autumn: leaves caught in his dark ears, dropping from his white chest, and off his tail. Dog smelled just like autumn!Martin sat up in bed and reached down with one small hand. Dog barked and showed a long length of pink, wet tongue, which he passed over and along the back of Martin's hand. Dog licked him like a lollypop. 'Because of the salt on my skin,' declared Martin, as Dog jumped upon the bed. 'Get down,' warned Martin. 'Mom doesn't like you up here.' Dog dropped his ears. 'Well. . .' Martin softened, 'just for a little while, then.' Dog warmed Martin's smallbody with his dog warmness. Martin loved the clean smell of dog and the pile of colourful leaves on the blanket. He didn't really care if Mom was angry! 'What is it like outside today, Dog? Tell me.'...

 

What do you know about Pandas?

 

We have been talking about Pandas in the class. Remember you have to write a paragraph with some facts about one animal you choose. We use present simple to talk about facts.  Here are two pictures I took at Chendú of two baby pandas in the incubator and a sign asking tourists to be quiet and not to disturb their national treasure. 

 

1. Giant pandas are good at climbing trees and can also swim.

2. Pandas go from pink to white and black (or brown).

3. Pandas have so many fans because they look cute..

4. Eating and sleeping make their day.

5. An adult can eat 12–38 kilos of bamboo per day!

6. Pandas have carnivorous teeth, but they eat bamboo and fruit.

7. You can see panda babies in August. Females mainly produce two offspring, but only the stronger one survives in the wild.

8. Prehistoric pandas lived up to 2 million years ago.

9. Pandas have 6 toes to grasp bamboo.

10. Strange behavior! Pandas like to lick copper and iron.

 

ALEXANDRA and her handmade sign on her balcony to say thank you.

Alexandra was an American teacher assistant in Tirso de Molina some years ago. Now she is in a different school. If you have older brothers they might have met her. Last week she was on a front page news on Malasaña newspaper. She has hung up a handmade sign on her balcony. She embroidered some letters on a towel to say thanks to her neighbours.  Read the article to get inspired for your journal entrance. Notice she says “neighbor” instead of “neigbour” because she is American, but remember both options are correct. Although her name is Alexandra, the journalist wrote it wrong.

Coronavirus Stories: Alexandria and Her Perpetual “Thank you for everything”

 

There are simple gestures, like making and putting up a sign with “Thank you” 24 hours on a balcony, that helps and encourages the other neighbors to cope with the Malasaña quarantine

Alexandria is from the United States and has been living on Calle Espiritu Santo practically since she arrived eight and a half years ago. She gives English classes at a school in Arguelles to children from four to eighteen years old and now, from her confinement, says that her favorite moment of the day is when everyone goes to their balcony at eight o’clock to unite the neighbors to give a daily thank you to all the people working and carrying the responsibility in the fight to slow the curve of the Coronavirus from spreading that keeps us at home.

Since yesterday, from her balcony a sign has been hanging day and night with the sewn-on letters “Thank you for everything.” “I wanted to put ‘Thank you everyone for everything,’ but I didn’t have enough material in my apartment to make it. I love arts and crafts, so I made these letters and put them on an old towel,” she told us by phone from her flat.

Alexandria says that the hour of applause “and making noise and encouraging each other” is allowing her to get to know new neighbors from her balcony, which thanks to her sign is getting more looks. “I don’t talk much with anyone in particular, but we look at each other, we smile at each other, and I feel like I know them. It’s a feeling that I hope continues when all of this is over. It comforts me to know that we are neighbors and that we are fighting this together.”

Alexandria’s parents live and work in the United States and this neighbor, who surely is like many others, says that she is especially worried about their health. She remarks that the US healthcare system is very different from the Spanish and that, because many people are without medical insurance, they will continue to work even when they show Coronavirus symptoms. “Although the illness is arriving there later and they have had more time to prepare and take precautions, I think the European and Spanish systems are better prepared to take care of the public during this crisis.”

Meanwhile she continues to work on educating students from home, for as she is a teacher it is possible to continue teaching students online, this neighbor assures that she will stick to going to the balcony every day at eight o’clock to give thanks and encourage the world, while her sign will be there 24 hours a day for whoever can see it.

Check a link to the Spanish article here:

SPANISH ARTICLE

The leg of Lamb by Roald Dahl

Questions for The leg of Lamb by Roald Dahl are in the link to the padlet. I can´t add documents here.  You don´t have to write the answers on the document. You can download it and fill it in or write the answers on a normal piece of paper. I will collect it when we return. I remind you that my email for any questions is elenteachertirso@gmail.com

https://padlet.com/elenteachertirso/esmvs6t0xd10