>
We are proud to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’s birth (Portsmouth, February 7, 1812) with a selection of activities which explore the life and works of a true great of English literature.
The books of Charles Dickens have sold in the millions, and have also been adapted into countless theatre and cinematic productions.
So come and learn more about Dickens and enjoy his work.

Did you Know?
Charles Dickens had a pet raven named Grip. When the bird died in 1841 he had it stuffed and it is now in the Free Library of Philadelphia.

As a young man Charles Dickens worked for nearly four years as a newspaper reporter working on court cases and legal proceedings. This experience found its way into many of his books.

Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine had ten children. Many of them were named after famous writers.

Many of Charles Dickens’ books were printed in magazines in serial form before being published in book format. Unlike other authors who finished their stories before the magazines printed them, Dickens often wrote each episode as they were being serialized. This meant that his stories had a rhythm which kept the reader looking forward to the next episode, just like a modern day TV series.

One of Charles Dickens’ daughters was named Dora after the character in his book David Copperfield. The real Dora died tragically of an illness just like the Dora in the book.

–SCENE FORM “HARD TIMES”
–SCENE FROM “NICHOLAS NICKLEBY”

The more you discover about an author, the more you will enjoy their novels.
Answer these questions and see how much you know about Dickens!

1-What was his birthdate?
2-What was his birthplace?
3-What was his father’s name?
4-What was Charles Dickens’ first job?
5-How old was he when he started working?
6-How long did he work in the factory?
7-Where did he return to study after working in the factory?
8-What was ‘Boz’?
9-Whom did he marry?
10-How many children did Dickens and Catherine have?
11-What was Catherine’s Hogarth younger sister’s name?
12-Mary served as inspiration for what?
13-What was special about the novel Pickwick Papers?
14-What novel was published in 1837-38?
15-What were the Nicholas Nickleby sales figures?
16-What is the meaning of MHC?
17-In which other country was Dickens very popular?
18-Which famous novel did he write in 1843?
19-Which novel is considered to be largely autobiographical?
20-Where is Dickens buried?

Do you like this song?
Why don’t you tell me which is your favourite Christmas song?



1-ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
a. What type of story do you expect The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to be?
b. What do you think the story is about? Write 5 sentences.
c. Write down as many words as you can remember related to “ghost”.

2-PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS INTO THEIR CORRECT FORM

Washington Irving 1-_______________ (to be) an American author of the early 19th century. He _2-______________ (to be) best known for his short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle. Irving _3-______________ (to be) among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe, and he _4-___________ (to encourage) other American authors. Irving _5-______________ (to be) also admired by some European writers. As an uninterested student, Irving _6-________ (to prefer) adventure stories and drama and, by age fourteen,_7-______________ (to be) regularly sneaking out of class in the evenings to attend the theatre. The 19-year old Irving 8-_______________ (to begin) writing letters to the New York Chronicle in 1802, submitting commentaries on the city’s social and theatre scene under the name of Jonathan Oldstyle. The name _9-______________(to be) the first of many pseudonyms Irving would employ throughout his career. The letters _10-______________ (to bring) Irving some early fame and moderate notoriety. On the evening of November 28, 1859, only eight months after completing the fi nal volume of his Washington biography, Washington Irving _11-______________ (to die) of a heart attack in his bedroom at the age of 76. Legend _12-______________ (to have) it that his last words _13-______________ (to be): “Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?” He _14-______________ (to be buried) under a simple headstone at Sleepy Hollow cemetery on December 1, 1859.

3-READ THE PASSAGE ABOVE AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. What was Washington Irving’s profession?
2. Which are his best known stories?
3. What was he known for?
4. Was Irving a good student?
5. What did he do during classes?
6. Which were his first attempts in writing?
7. What way did he use to get his writing published?
8. Under what circumstances did he die?

Here you’ve got the video of the song we worked and sang together at the end of June. You remember it, don’t you?

<“>Estrella 2011 video

And if you want to have a look at the lyrics, here you are:

I wish that I could see you soon

I had to leave you and go away but I
think about you everyday
in the morning and the afternoon
I wish that I could see you soon

and when I held you I felt so fine
it was like there was nothing left on my mind
it was like Rockaway Beach in the month of June
I wish that I could see you soon

I had no plans to meet you baby
I had a million things to do baby
but you hit my heart with a harpoon
I wish that I could see you soon

The angels go ”How long ‘til you can see her?”
and I’m like: ”The sooner the better”,
”Do you really think she will wait for you?”
”Well I have no way to say and there’s nothing I can do,
well I have no way to say and there’s nothing I can do”, go!

Now listen, now that I am across the sea
I wonder if you’re gonna wait for me
or if you’re gonna find a new boy to spoon
I wish that I could see you soon

and if you wait a little my pretty friend
until I come back to hold your hand
we’ll be like bugs when they break through a cocoon
you know, I wish that I could see you soon

it’s been a while since I felt like this
now i found someone I really miss
under the sun, under the moon
I wish that I could see you soon

Angels: ”how long ‘til you can see her?”
and I’m like: ”The sooner the better”
angels: ”do you really think she will wait for you?”
and i’m like: ”there’s no way to say and there’s nothing i can do
there’s no way to say and there’s nothing i can do”, go!

Angels again: ”How long ‘til you can see her?”
I’m like: ”Well, the sooner the better”
”Do you really think she will wait for you?”
and I’m like: ”There’s no way to say and there’s nothing i can do
no way to say and there’s nothing I can do,
Well, no way to say and there’s nothing I can do
no way to say and there’s nothing I can do”

You can also wath Beyonce singing if i were a boy

If I were a boy
Even just for a day
I’d roll outta bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted then go
Drink beer with the guys
And chase after girls
I’d kick it with who I wanted
And I’d never get confronted for it.
Cause they’d stick up for me.

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
Cause he’s taken you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

[Verse]
If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it’s broken
So they’d think that I was sleepin’ alone
I’d put myself first
And make the rules as I go
Cause I know that she’d be faithful
Waitin’ for me to come home (to come home)

[Chorus]
If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I’d be a better man.
I’d listen to her
Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted (wanted)
Cause he’s taken you for granted (granted)
And everything you had got destroyed

[Vamp1]
It’s a little too late for you to come back
Say its just a mistake
Think I’d forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong

[Male]
You know when you act like that
I don’t think you realize how it makes me look
or feel

[Beyonce]
Act like what
Why are you so jealous
It’s not like i’m sleeping with the guy

[Male]
What

[Beyonce]
What

[Male]
I said yo
Why are you so jealous
It aint like I’m sleepin with the girl
[Vamp2]
But you’re just a boy
You don’t understand
Yeah you don’t understand
How it feels to love a girl someday
You wish you were a better man
You don’t listen to her
You don’t care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted
Cause you’ve taken her for granted
And everything you have got destroyed
But you’re just a boy

Next Saturday the 26th of March the winners of the local stage are going to Barcelona to take part in the territorial competition. Good luck!!!

Elvis Aaron Presley^a (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King”.

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Presley moved to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family at the age of 13. He began his career there in 1954 when Sun Records owner Sam Phillips, eager to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience, saw in Presley the means to realize his ambition. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was one of the originators of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country and rhythm and blues. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for over two decades. Presley’s first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel“, released in January 1956, was a number one hit. He became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll with a series of network television appearances and chart-topping records. His energized interpretations of songs, many from African American sources, and his uninhibited performance style made him enormously popular—and controversial. In November 1956, he made his film debut in Love Me Tender.

Conscripted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He staged few concerts, however, and, guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, after seven years away from the stage, he returned to live performance in a celebrated comeback television special that led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of profitable tours. In 1973, Presley staged the first concert broadcast globally via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii, seen by approximately 1.5 billion viewers. Prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at the age of 42.

Presley is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture. He had a versatile voice and unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including country, pop ballads, gospel, and blues. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of popular music.^[1][2][3][4] Nominated for 14 competitive Grammys, he won three, and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. He has been inducted into four music halls of fame.