Reality Bites

No Place to Call Home by Lee Stringer

Life in the Underworld by Charles Dickens


Please answer the following questions:

1) Tell us about the narrator's everyday life as it is described in Lee Stringer's extract from the novel No Place to Call Home.

2) Thousands of people are sleeping rough on big city streets every day and night. In your view, is it true that we accept homelessness if we do nothing about it? Do we have a responsibility? Or is the problem something social workers can solve? Is it a state or community issue? (Blueprint B p. 81)

3) Summarise the text extract Life in the Underworld in your own words.

4) Just like Oliver Twist in Charles Dickens' text, many children in Africa are orphans - due to the AIDS epidemic. Give us some convincing arguments to make people donate money for this course, to help them build an orphanage, a school etc. (Blueprint B p. 82)

Swedish news in English

In the right hand column you can see some net addresses. Go to the address called SR International Radio Sweden and activate the link. Here you will visit Radio Sweden - Swedish News in English. To the right you are to see a blue sign saying Podcasts. Please click on the link and then choose 3 Radio Sweden programmes from different dates and inform yourself about what happened in Sweden at that time. Good luck and I hope you will enjoy listening to news in this way.

Jane Austen

You have informed yourself about the autor Jane Austen via Rex Net. Write some facts about who she was and what she did, the way she wrote etc. Deadline: 3 March

What are your absolute dating no-no's?

Having read the extract Meet Mark in your Blueprint coursebook p.11-15 you are to express your opinion on nr 1 Reflect and Share p. 16. What are your absolute dating no-no's? Make a list of three things that you consider absolutely out of the question on the first date. Please comment on one of the lists of your coursemates as well. Go to "kommentar" and activate that link and write your thoughts about someone else's no-no list.

Deadline: 1 March

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Hello everyone,

I have made some changes concerning the final test of Big Mouth&Ugly Girl. The changes have been published on Rex Net, however I will post them on our course blog as well.

Please read the following:

w.2 We'll meet in class on 14 January between 16-18 to discuss the novel in depth. Learn all the Big Mouth &Ugly Girl words on the hand-out given to you on our previous meeting. When we meet on January 14 you will sit a vocabulary test on the words and write an essay in connection to the novel read. This time the final analysis of the novel will be in writing. The results from your last vocabulary test will be issued.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and try to recharge your batteries!

w. 51 Blueprint B The Seeds of Evil

For this week you are to read a text in Blueprint B called The Seeds of Evil by Michael Medved. The topic is violent videos and TV programmes and how they are changing children's childhood. Hollywood's impact on society can sometimes be devastating! Deadline December 16.

Read the article pp. 73-75 carefully and answer the questions p. 76:

Read and React:

1) One teacher notices a major difference when it comes to stories her students choose to tell. What is the difference from before?

2) Mr Medved, the author of the article argues, "tens of millions of people watch brutal entertainment" without ever doing the same thing in real life. But a few do. How does he support his argument?

3) The article admits, restricted access to firearms and new efforts to tackle violent videos will not change society overnight. Is it still worth implementing? If so why? What is your reaction?

Refelct and Share:

1) What is the thesis statement in the article, the main point Mr Medved is trying to make? Try writing it out in one simple sentence.

2) Considering the pros and cons in this article, where do you stand in this debate? Do you know of more arguments that might shed light on the question of entertainment and its undesired effects on children - or on any of us?

w. 50 ch. 15-30

Deadline: December 13

We go on reading the novel Big Mouth&Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates and this week we take a closer look at chapters 15-30.

Please answer the following questions when you have finished the above chapters:

1) Describe the personality change which takes place in Matt. He used to be described as the perfect American boy, always smiling and full of wit. In what way has he changed, why and would you think he will become his old self again, is this possible?

2)We have discussed Ursula previously, however, the more we read the more we get to know her. Characterise Ugly Girl- warrior woman please.

3) Express something about the text message correspondence between Matt and Ursula.

4) Is suing the school the correct thing to do? What is your opinion? Will this act put a final end to Matt's situation?