Group presentations + upcoming classes Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Today I divided the class into four groups. In the groups you agreed on 3-4 quotes from today's homework that you wanted to comment on in class. Then you did a presentation of your quotes and your comments. You all did a good job today with the presentations, I think! :)

On Thursday we will do a couple of more reading comprehensions to practise for the reading part of the national test.

This is the schedule for the upcoming classes:

Thursday April 30: Practise reading

Tuesday May 5: National Test: Speaking (see schedule in my post below)

Thursday May 7: National Test: Reading + Listening (8:30 - 9:50 + 10:10 - 11:00) Regular classes in the afternoon. Be on time! The test starts at 8:30 sharp. I will open the door once at 8:40, that's it.

Tuesday May 12: National test: Speaking (see schedule in my post below)

Thursday May 14: No English class (homework for May 19 instead)

Today's writing test Friday, April 24, 2009

Today the students did the first part of the national test: writing. The topics were "Me and My Computer - Pros and Cons" or "Computers in Society - Possibilities and Dangers". In a way it was a great topic for you since we have used this blog in our course, and that is one way to use computers, obviously.

I browsed through some of the essays quickly and it seems that all of you had some thoughts on the topic. It's interesting that many of you seem to have listed more negative aspects than positive ones about our use of computers and the Internet. Why, do you think? That is something I'd like to discuss in class on Tuesday. Be prepared.

Have a nice weekend and don't forget about the homework for Tuesday. See my previous posts for instructions.

Today's class Thursday, April 23, 2009

Today we read diary 50 in Freedom Writers Diary in class. It was about a girl who was unable to keep up with the rest of the students in their change for the better. She felt really guilty about that. Despite feeling guilty she was not ready to change her life just yet.

We also did one of the reading comprehension tests "From One Life To Another". You can find the test plus the correct answers in the link I posted earlier.

See you tomorrow at 8:30 for the first part of the National Test.

Don't forget to read diaries 57-67 for Tuesday and bring three topics of discussion to class.

Today's class + homework for Tuesday Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Today we did the listening comprehension "A Canadian Holiday" in class. If you want to listen to it again, click here: http://www.ipd.gu.se/enheter/sol/nafs/exempel_provuppgifter/engelska_a_exempeluppg/

I also showed you a sample of a writing assignment and a text that was graded as an MVG. Click the link above to find that one + other examples of texts from the national test of English.

Your homework for Tuesday April 28 is to read diaries 57-67 in Freedom Writers Diary that I handed out today. Find three different parts/ideas/thoughts in those diaries that you would like to discuss in class. Bring your ideas to class on Tuesday.

Please rememeber: On Thursday April 23 English class starts at 9:50 am and finishes at 10:50 am.

On Friday April 24 at 8:30 - 9:50 am you will do the writing part of the national test. Be there and be on time. No second chances will be given.

Schedule for the National Test: Speaking

Tuesday, May 5

12:10 – 12:40 Aynas, Marlin, Layla

12:40 – 13:10 Gjejlan, Jemma, Jenny

13:10 – 13:40 Donna, Maria, Gjulsha

Tuesday, May 12

12:10 – 12:40 Sandra, Zyrie, Emma

12:40 – 13:10 Jennifer, Nadja, Sara F

13:10 – 13:45 Sara E, Seham, Faiza, Michelle


Please note: Be on time! If you miss your scheduled time, you miss the test. No second chances will be given.

Links to practise for the National Test Friday, April 17, 2009

Here are three links for you to use for practise. The first one is to practise listening. It's Swedish news broadcast in English. Just click on "senaste program" and listen.

http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/index.asp?nyheter=1&ProgramID=2054

This one is a British magazine for young people, to practise reading.
http://www.dazeddigital.com/Default.aspx

Here is the site that has examples of tasks from old National Tests of English.
http://www.ipd.gu.se/enheter/sol/nafs/exempel_provuppgifter/engelska_a_exempeluppg/

On Tuesday we will do some of these exercises in class. See you then!

The Freedom Writers Diary Wednesday, April 15, 2009

"That night before I went to bed, I made a promise to myself that I will never steal anything else or do anything stupid like that ever again. Not only did I cause my parents pain, but I also threw away my own pride and good judgement trying to be someone I'm not."

I think she really understood here that doing something stupid like stealing was not going to make her cool at all. Sometimes you feel that you have to do something "cool" in order for other "cool" people to think that you are cool, but sometimes that can't always turn out to be something good. And I found this part interesting because I myself have been in the same situation. And I, like this girl, realized at last that it didn't work out at all to do stupid things for others to think you're somebody.

" Zlata and I lost our childhood innocence because we were denied the right to do childlike things, like go to school, talk on the phone, and just play outside. The buildings were burning and people got beaten up just because the color of their skin, their religion, or ethnicity. Unfortunately, we both had to suffer because of others people's ignorance and destruction."

This part actually spoke to me because my parents have been in that situation a long time ago when the Serbs occupied Kosovo and didn't let the Albanians do a lot of things. At that time they weren't aloud to go out without an ID-card on them or passport. If they were caught without an ID-card or passport, they would get beaten up by the Serbs. So I can actually relate to this situation. And it's really sad that some people can't get along at all because of silly things like the color of their skin or ethnicity. You should be able to accept everybody because we're all human after all.

"His history was written to expose the war in Bosnia and its similarity to the Holocaust. Knowing that people are getting murdered and that thousands of women were being raped is shocking. It makes me both sad and angry because history is indeed repeating itself."

I thought this part was very interesting because it's so true, what this person says. No matter how many times we get to hear that things like this happen in wars or on the whole, some never learn. People tend to make the same mistakes over and over again no matter how bad the consequences are. Why? Maybe because it lies in the human nature? Or because that some people never learn from their mistakes. However, it's really upsetting that bad things like murder and rape still occur in the world.

The fredom writers.

"I wondered how they could be so different. My mother is mexican and this woman black, yet the same emotions that made them cry came from a heart that was tearing apart the same way."

I think this part is cuite interesting because she tries to find some kind of reason to how to diffrent people can feel the same thing. When really, they arent all that diffrent. The only diffrence is theire skin color, that doesnt mean that they are from to diffrent planets. But I think that because of the way she was raised, she doesnt really know taht this is true. She tells us that she was raised to always stand up for her own people. And by that I think she means latinos. So therefor I think that she was raised to belive that latinos is in one way, black in one and americans in one. and that couldn´t be more wrong. In the botom line we are all the same. It´s only the outside that makes us diffrent.

"After reading this book, I realized how teens are very gullible; getting tricked into doing things against their will because they want to fit in and be popular."

This part is so true. Some kids and teens would do anything just to fitt in and to be respected by the popular. It´s sad but it´s true. And the popular ones who does nothing but uses thees people is not the kind of group you would want to be a part of. I think that they are so unsecure in them selfs that they seek verification and finds it in the people that are affraid of them. That´s is not a life I would want for myself.

"I was only six when a friend of my father´s molested me in his home. Yet to this day, I haven´t told my parents. Keeping this secret inside was very hard for me."

I find this part very sad and heartbreaking. Because no one should have to go through this. No less a six year old child. And then not to have the curridge to talk aboute it, and just letting it grow inside is just terrible. I´m glad to say that I can´t even start to understand what she has gone trough, but I can say that I can almost imagine how horrable it must be. It´s deffinutley not something I would even wish upon my worst enemy.

~Emma*

The freedom writers diary "you can go against your own people your own blood" whatever happens you can never deny his own blood, family, siblings or brothers,you can become enemies hate each other but never dare to kill or be proud of their own family's death. there is always something that binds us to other, people we know this is not necessarily the family it might be the closest friends also. "i tried to ignore the little voice, but then the voice spoke louder. it told me thet this women was my mother, and that little girl was me " her voice was so annurlunda so that she recognized that while she had not heard the för.alla memories came back and all certain it is that she recognized her own mother who can not let her forget the world's sweetest voice

After reading this book, i realized how teens are very gullible; getting tricked into doing things against their will because they want to fit in and be popular .

this is the reality we live in the poor that no one tries to change. the truth behind every child who has gone through very .all trying to be the person who directs or fit. to do everything up to start drugging and robbing. world does not work the way we think everything is very much worse no wish good luck to others not want others to feel good and succeed

My 3 important parts in the text are:


“You can’t go against your own people, your own blood!”

I picked this part because I feel familiar with it. I don’t think I can go against my own people, my own blood just when I have to. When they have done something really bad and I know that they are not going to change at all if I stand by them and if they go against me. I don’t think I am alone having those thoughts about ones own blood, I know many people feels this way. I wouldn’t give up my own people for nothing and I don’t think anybody would do that for me.

“I realized how teens are very gullible: getting tricked into doing things against their will because they want to fit in and be popular.”

I have noticed it too. I think the problem is that they have no one to look up to and no good role models. Now days teens are cool if they don go to school, if they don’t listen to anybody and if they are criminal. And it feels like money takes a larger part of people’s lives year by year and its making life harder and worse.

“Keeping this secret inside was very hard for me.”

I think keeping any secret is hard especially when it’s something big or embarrassing, something about you or ones you care about. You hardly feel safe to tell anybody and you don’t know who the right one to talk to is. To hold BIG secrets inside can even be painfully. Talking to someone you trusts is a good idea. If you secret is a bad event, try to get over it and start over. Don’t let something bad bother you forever.

by: gjulsha :)

The Freedom Writer Diary

" How does it feel to be sending an innocent person to prison? You probably feel like that man sent your father to prison knowing he was innocent, you know, he was only protecting his own, too.

I think if she tell the tru, Paco gonne faght with her father and brother in prison because she didn't has onther choice she had to dicide lie for cuort of law. That's because she thinking to pretect her family and the people and her self to. After that she let him to live his life as uselly, because when she was a little girl she lived the same situation like the little girl has right now.She didn't want to let the girl live her life without a father like she did.At the same time she want to protect her self from the whole gang.

" I sometimes feel like a bird in cage and just want to fly away"

when she read the book about Anna Frank, she compared her own life with Anna's life and the same situation who Anna had that's because both had go thruogh much in their's life. Because she lives with the gang and Anne Frank lives with the war.I think she choice the right book that she didn't liked to read book, becuase she is not alone she has one to compare her life like Anne Frank.

"I guess I'll have to wait for the war to end like Anne and Zlata did, except I won.t die or get taken advantge of. I'm going to be strong".

Every day she look at the Anne and Zlata's and her parents life, she being more stonger and stonger. She thinking a lot about own life and said to her self that "I'm never will be like their life and the same situation, because she thinks that it's wrong when somone puts hand on somebody else. She's ready to fight for her own life, when she going have to the same situation and future to be ready how to hanle it.
She has experience a lot, and maybe she going fight for the human rights after all the problems.

The Freedom Writers Diary

I found this three parts of the text most interesting;

"How does it feel to be sending an innocent person to prison? You probably feel like that man that sent your father to prison knowing he was innocent, you know, he was only protecting his own, too."And for the first time in my life, the image of my mother made me believe that i could change the way things were."

I chose this part of the text because I think that she acted very mature in this situation. Although she grew up and learned that you should protect your own flesh and blood no matter what. I think she is acting right. When she saw the mother and daughter, who reminded her of her self and her own mother, she started to think diffrently. She had been in the same situation herself, she knew exactly how they felt. The words her mother once have told her starting to make a difference in her mind, is it right to send a innocent person into prison? Once, her own father were sent into prison even though he was innocent. But why? He was sending to prison because of someone who didn't dare to tell the truth just to protect his own.

"It's so hard for me to change because I fear that people will not like the sober me."

I think this girl in some way feel bad about herself and her surroundings. She is very unsure of herself, unhappy and she feels excluded. She drinks alcohol because she's afraid of showing the real her, she is afraid of not being accepted for the one she really is and want to be. I think it's rather sad to resort alcohol to feel better and to be able to open up yourself. We all have high expectations of the way we look and our personality. I think it has gone over the limit. Why should you have to pretend to be some else to become accepted and popular? Why can't you be exactly the way you are?

"I kept asking myself, "Why am I so stupid that I stooped this low to impress my so-called friends? They're not even here with me to help me out of this mess. My parents will probably never forgive me, or ever trust me ever again."

More or less, this has always been a bad habit. You do things that you don't really want to just to impress your "friends". If you want to get higher status and belong to the toughest guys in school, you do this stupid things to get all of theirs attention. Sometimes your not even think about the consequences before doing something stupid.

Freedom writers

"How does it feel to be sending an innocent person to prison? You probably feel like that man that sent your father to prson knowing he was innocent, you know, he was only protecting his own, too."And for the first time in my life, the image of my mother made me believe that i could change the way things were.

I think she is very brave, she told the truth infront of the jury despite that she went against her own family and firends. She knew she had to do the right thing because her father was in a similar incident, and he went to prison being inocent. She grew up in a society where they learn that you can´t go against your own people and blood. And nobody doubted it. So telling the jury that her boyfriend was guilty you can see she isn´t like everyone else, she has a mind of her own.


It´s so hard for me to change because i fear that people will not like the sober me. I´ve been doing it for so long...

I feel soory for her because she obviously has self-confidence issues, she does´t want people to see who she really is, she is afraid they won´t like her and because of that she started to drink. I think she wants to stop becuase first step to stop drinking is to admit you are an alcoholic. Maybe when she was little she had low confidence and later as a teenager she developt a drinking habit to ease the pain she was feeling.



I will never steal anything else or do anything stupid like that ever again. Not only did i couse my parents pain, but i also threw my own pride and good judgment trying to be someone i´m not.

I think she learned a valuable lesson not to be someone you´r not and trying to impress others. People sometimes get in to truble because they do as their friends.

Freedom Writers !

The teacher Mrs Grunwell wrote a diary every day about the class and how it went from the day she began to teach them.She even thought that she was to young to involving with teaching at a high school but anyway she loves to teach young students about literature,but the whole class was unteachable.She kept pushing them to learn in any kind of ways.



The three most important in the diary was:



She really wanted to help them even though everyone stood out after a week or so,but the thing was they all say her as a wealthy women and wanted a good conscience.She took good tricks how to bond the class mates by learning stuffs that all of them is similare to them.



If you were latino,afro-american,white or asian there was a war between them all and kept shooting at each other on the streets.There were only one white boy int that class everyone thought what in the hell is he doing in this class because every white students are smart and goes for their selves in a class of their own.



The latina girl found herself similare to Juliet because her loves story is the one she got and her parents didn't approve the relationship between them.As she wondered more about the story about Juliet and Romeo,she wanted more details for exampel how her parents reacted and how she responded to them unlikely for her she didnt saw anything to the parents and got curfew and no outside communication.



The three intressenting parts in the story was:



The teacher never gave up on them and now got them a idé about writing a journal/diary and no one in the class could read it besides herself if they wanted to,they could write everything from musik to their onwn lifestyles and how the experiance the "ghetto".After a while she read awful things they got throw by themselves and thought no one could understand how they felt/feels but they wrong and she planned to have some games with them and talk serious with them.



She took the whole class for a field trip to Schindler's List and saw how the people looked strangely at her and took their purses in fear of the colored young "gangsters".One even had the nerv to tell her "if you love black people so much why don't you just marry a monkey".That is the most awful thing she ever heard I belive but that is just my opinion.But luckily the proffessors read all that on a article in a newspaper and invited the class to a seminar to see the author of Schindler's List Thomas Keneally.Even himself he got impressed of them and invited them to meet Steven Spielberg at University Studios.When they returned from the University the head of the English department "You are making us look bad" !
Her bubble burst their but she wanted to keep her job and make a diffrence to the students.

There were a reputation about Sharaud threatened his last english teacher with a fake gun and was the clown of the entire class.But it took a month for her to win over Sharaud and by time got exicted for her lessons to learn more about literature.Mrs Grunwell or as "mrs G" as they called her for wondered how long it would take forthe other ones to be as Sharaud.

(This is an incredible story and even true,I've seen the movie and I just wanted to saw I loved with my entire heart.They spoke like it really was real but the "ghetto" they speak of know I can't understand because it's much better now than ever before.)

Freedom Writers Diary

I found three interesting parts.

1. "It's so hard for me to change because I fear that people will not like the sober me."
I think that she is afraid to show her real personality and because of that she drinks more alcohol so she can dare to be someone. I also think that she is a shy girl who doesn't talk as much and then people think she is boring. She knows that she can't be without alcohol because then no one want to be with her. She wants to change herself and her life, she doesn't want to be that kind of girl who drinks alcohol, steal and not give a shit about important things like school. She knows that she is going to regret all she have done when she went older because then she have no education, no job and no money.

2. "Not only did I cause my parents pain, but I also threw away my own pride and good judgement trying to be someone I'm not."
Now she really regret what she have done. She steal make-up from a shop and a security officer have seen her do that so she have to go to a smal store with him and shows all that she have steal. Her parents went angry and they don't know what to say because they don't thought their daughter would do a thing like that. She have never feel so ashamed before and she doesn't want to look at her parents. She tought they were going to kill her. Now she doesn't feel any pride of herself, she feels like she has destroy her own judgement.

3. "I'm going to be strong." I like this when I read it. In spite of all she have done and her big mistakes she knows that she could change herself if she really wants to. She is a strong girl with a strong will and she is ready to give all she can to make the situation become better. Even if her parents is angry, I think they would be very proud of their daughter if she wants to change her life. They care about her so much so they are overprotective of her and then she thinks that they don't love her, but it's just what they do!

Reminder of the homework due on Wednesday Sunday, April 12, 2009

This is to remind you of your homework that is due on Wednesday April 15. Don't forget, since I want to use some of your writing in class on Thursday! Hope you have all had a nice holiday. I had a great time in Spain. I especially loved the city of Granada.

Here is a link to old national tests that you can use for practise. We will do some of them in class, but it's a good idea to try to do the tests at home as well: http://www.ipd.gu.se/enheter/sol/nafs/exempel_provuppgifter/engelska_a_exempeluppg/

hi :) Saturday, April 11, 2009

I found some interesting parts and motivated my choice.

“I am going to protect my own”Why I chose to write about this was because of that I saw that the truth may ultimately find their way, although it was difficult to reveal. so when she said the most important for her it is protect hers own because she has no choice so she had forced to lie for thing she believe for, even if it was wrong. Which can be effected us badly, to feel bad for it because our conscience reprimand ourselves and so often the truth win than the wrong because it has more capacity to be stronger.

“It is so hard for me to change because I fear that people will not like the sober me”What I can not understand sometimes is that we judge ourselves by others' thoughts because we think through this we can adapt to their lives, but it totally wrong.
Or sometimes it happens that we convince our self to the problem we had, certainly the most we know have it. Then it may suffer a major problem as we have difficulty we take away from us, or to take control of it.
What I think that sometimes man deceive yourself not others. That you can not change their fate, so has more self determination and a strong will can change everything we want to be, and it is your life not others so live for you not to other.
“Why should I read books about people that don’t look like me? People that I don’t even know and that I am not going to understand because they don’t understand me”
what I think when I read the quotes and the rest of her text, so can we see that she discovered herself that she was wrong, so there should be always daring to look at the whole of the thing if we initially show disinterest can lead to that we cant understand view of the different things that can happen every day.

“The buildings were burning and people got beaten up just because of the color of their skin their religion or ethnicity”I like this little text because before so were, many people beaten and killing in a tragic way just because they have a different skin color or religion and I think it was wrong.
All of us have the same value and nobody is better than the other.
And whatever man is so should all accept the person as the other and here in Sweden all accept you whatever you are from.

“I believe we should all be aware of and also to realize that we are not alone”
I think it is a good quote because if I have problem so I am not alone for there are many people who feel the same sense for example if I am bored and just want to take a suicide but I know I am not lonely because there are many people in the world who feel the same feeling as me so I should always be happy because for every problem so there are a solution.

Freedom writers... Sunday, April 5, 2009

I pictured her waiting for her father to come home, knowing he wasn't. I pictured her visiting him, and not being abel to touch him because of an unbreakable window, and I imagined her wanting to unlock his cage, knowing she could't.

I got pictures in my mind when she were telling about one day in her life. She were a member of a gang who pushed her at the wrong way and made her lie in front of everybody. When she saw a mother cry with a little girl in her knees, it reaminds her about her mother when her father and brother got into prison. She has this memories when she were waiting for her father to come home but he never came and she pictured herself visiting her father but were not be abel to touch him because of a unbreakable window. This sentences gave me very strong feelings because I can imagine myself in that kind of situation.


The momentous for a child is to have parents who can be there for them and to be loved of parents is every childs dream in my opinion. I choose this part because it affected me emotional. It is very hard to lose someone, you don't want to belive that the person is gone and you are waiting and wating. I know that waiting is waste of time because if you know for sure that you can't or that it will not happen then it is waste of time. Sometimes you want to help people around you because they are hurt, or need your help in someway but sometimes you can't help them because they have to go through things for learning. It maybe sound very hard like I am a cold person but if you think twice you will see that it is right. This girl hid her feelings very early because they took her father from her. If something bad happen in our life, the first thing we do is to hide our feelings and close our door to our heart. This girl has done that, she don't wanted to admit that her english teacher were right but later she opened her door again because she felt that someone cared about her.


I was talked into doing things I knew were wrong.

This sentence is very powerfull, this things happen all the time and everywere. When I saw this sentence I saw myself :O people around you always affect you no matter if you like it or not. It could be something good or bad and the choice is ours. We often put our burden on someone else. If someone tell something for us we belive it but whos responsibility is it to find out if it is true or not?

for exemple if your mother are saying: your father is stupid and he doesn't understand how I feel, he is not a good father and he doesn't care. Then you start to thing if she's right, she is your mother and we always learn to listen to our mothers. Soner or later you will think that she's right. But you forgot the most important thing, everything has to sides and I mean that you have to listen to the both sides. When you have listened then you got your own opinion.

People you look up to has big power on you. We listen to much to people instead of turning inside in ourselfs and listen to our inside voice. 3 years ago I was a very naive little girl who belived everything and I let myself influence by others. I learn to listen to both sides and then decide my own opinion. But this is just the begining. Every people changes and be wiser but you have to open your doors.


If they only knew that on the inside I am just barley keeping it together.

When you see a person, you see a face and you maybe see feelings in the eyes. Every person has a shell in the beginning or maybe the hole time. You may think that you know a person and you are sure about it but every person change and has their dark sides. You know a girl who is very happy and she always smiling. People thinks that she is pretty, have nice hair and a nice body. People think that she has everything but they are wrong. You see a face you don't know what that person are feeling or thinking.

Homework due April 15 at 9 pm Thursday, April 2, 2009

Today time flew in class and before I knew it it was just 10 minutes left! You worked with the questions that I posted below and we had time to answer some of them, but not all. Please finish answering the questions at home and also check the links that I have added to some of them.

Please note that on Tuesday April 14 there will be no English class in the afternoon. However, there will be another class instead (medicinsk grundkurs). Instead I want you to read Diary 33-40 from Freedom Writers Diary that I handed out today. Find 3 quotes/parts in those diaries that interest you or that you reacted to in some way. Write a blog post about your reactions.
Your post is due no later than 9 pm (21:00) Wednesday April 15.

Freedom Writers
Part 1
Questions:

1. Describe the teacher Ms Gruwell’s thoughts about her new job.
2. Ms Gruwell mentions “The Rodney King Riots”. Find out what happened.
3. Why did the drawing that was passed around amongst the students affect Ms Gruwell so much and what did she compare it to?
4. What seemed to be the students’ first impression of their new teacher and the class?
5. Describe some of the students’ backgrounds and their experiences in life.
6. How do you think the students’ backgrounds affected them? Try to see both positive and negative aspects.
7. Why do you think Ms Gruwell made her students read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
8. In what ways could the students relate to Romeo and Juliet?
9. Explain what happened at Pearl Harbor during the Second World War. Also explain how one of the students could relate to reading about it.
10. Try to find out more about the people Ms Gruwell invited to the panel discussion on diversity: Danny Haro, Edward James Olmos, Lisa Ramirez, Bob Gentry, Mas Okui, Renee Firestone.