LETTURE IN LINGUA

Determined to meet William Shakespeare and ask him the true meaning of his world-famous line “To be, or not to be - that is the question”, Todd Hunter, a high school student, embarks on a journey through time and space which takes him to the Globe in 1604. However, events take a very unexpected turn, and Todd is caught up in a series of hilarious adventures.

Eventually, life will teach him a lesson he will never forget on the importance of literature.

The volume includes two dossiers on Herbert George Wells and William Shakespeare, a wide range of four-skills activities and several KET-style tests.

Online resources include full recordings of every chapter in Mp3 format.

Myriam has just arrived in a new city with her family and she has a secret: she is a dragon breeder.

Her new classmates know nothing about her, except that she is an excellent drawer. During a school trip to the Vajes Lake, a legendary place inhabited by mysterious dwarves who live hidden under the mountains surrounding the lake, Myriam will disclose her secret to the only classmate she regards as a real friend, Mirko. They will meet the dwarves because Myriam has an important mission to accomplish and she needs their help.

The text includes a wide range of four-skills activities and a dossier about dragons in fantasy stories and legendary lakes.

The volume gives access to the full recording of the story in Mp3 format.

This is a contemporary and true story. Vladislav is a young refugee from Ukraine. He has to leave his country, after the Russian invasion, in 2022. Luckily, he joins a welcoming group of High School students, Daisy’s class, and makes new friends. Jennie, Daisy’s aunt, tells her daughter and her nieces the story of Zhenya. He is young man from Belarus and when he was a boy, he was hosted by Jennie, after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now, Jennie and her family are going to volunteer once again, aided by a very supportive community. The text includes a variety of activities for the 4 skills and 4 dossiers to learn English and Civics together (Religions and Cultures, COVID-19 and health care, Ukraine’s past and present, Consequences of Climate Change).

The volume gives access to the full recording of all the stories and many of the activities online.

A mood of charm and loveliness envelops the fairy worlds of The Happy Prince,The Nightingale and The Rose,The Selfish Giant and The Devoted Friend. Moving and funny at once, Oscar Wilde’s witty touch pervades these tales, written for his children and first published in 1888. Indifference, selfishness, vanity and arrogance are met here by friendship, generosity, devotion and self-sacrifice. Even when it may appear excessive or undeserved, the gift asserts itself as the apt response to each cry for help; self-sacrifice becomes an act of beauty, redeeming an otherwise tainted world.

The volume, accompanied by Mp3 files, offers notes and activities aimed at supporting understanding. Reading breaks offer exercises to fix content, vocabulary and structures, and to exercise the four language skills, offering ideas for comparison with the language of images.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the most fascinating love stories of all time. It is the tale of a pair of ‘death-marked’ lovers belonging to two noble families who hate each other profoundly.

The volume, written in simplified and modern English, includes an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and works; a wide variety of activities for the four skills; several Ket-style level A2 tests; and dossiers to explore and expand the cultural and historical aspects associated with the story.

The volume ends with an exit test and provides a recording of some parts of the text.

Lemuel Gulliver, first a ship’s surgeon then a ship’s captain, accidentally takes us on an extraordinary adventure to four countries which do not exist on any map. We learn about the strange habits of the tiny people of Lilliput and the dangers of living with giant people and animals in Brobdingnag. We know about bizarre scientific experiments on a flying island and come face to face with ugly beasts that look like humans but are not able to reason like the intelligent horses who rule the land. Gulliver describes all his strange experiences in wonderful detail so that we see exactly what he sees and feels. When he finally returns home, he is a wiser man now that he has learned the different ways of seeing the world.

The Canterville Ghost was one of the most popular short stories written by Oscar Wilde, and the first to be published, in 1887. The story of the Canterville Ghost takes place in an old English country house, Canterville Chase, which is haunted by Sir Simon’s ghost. When an American family, The Otises, buy the house, the Old World (England) clashes with the New (America).

In this novel, Wilde mixes the macabre with comedy, juxtaposing aspects of traditional English ghost stories with symbols of modern American consumerism. Wilde’s Gothic setting emphasizes the contrast between the cultures of traditional England and modern America.

The main character in the story is the ghost himself, Sir Simon, who tries in every way, but unsuccessfully, to upset and terrify the Otises.

The notes and exercises which accompany the text also aid comprehension. The teaching material at the end of each chapter reinforces the knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and provides practice for improving communication skills.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden is one of the most beloved classics of English literature. Set in the castle of Misselthwaite in the Yorkshire, it is a tale of transformation, full of mystery and suspense. Its protagonist, Mary Lennox, is described as a spoiled and self-centred child. When she finds the secret garden she starts a journey of self-discovery and helps her sickly cousin, Colin, to find the door to happiness.

Written in simple language, the volume is enhanced by lexical notes, in-depth dossiers about India and children’s literature, grammar and vocabulary exercises, and an Audio-CD with the complete recording of the text.

When he sees the portrait that his friend Basil Hallward has made of him, Dorian Gray dreams of remaining young forever and offers his own soul in return for eternal youth. Through the influence of his friend Lord Henry, Dorian descends into a world where pleasure and passion are more important than being good. But even though Dorian remains young, the painting begins to reflect the damage he has caused to his own soul, with tragic and fatal consequences.

This classic tale by Oscar Wilde is told using simple and direct language. The volume is completed by teaching activities which provide useful tools for certificate attainment, as well as dossiers that explore the cultural aspects associated with the historical and literary period in which the author lived.

One of the most famous romances in the history of literature, Pride and Prejudice, set in the England of the early 19th century, tells the tormented love story between Elizabeth and Darcy. They are surrounded by many unforgettable characters: the superficial and silly Mrs Bennet, the ridiculous Mr Collins, the arrogant Lady Catherine and the beautiful, sweet Jane.

Even if love is the great protagonist of this novel, Pride and Prejudice is worth reading for other important themes like the role of women and the importance of wealth in the 19th century.

In the volume, besides a wide range of exercises on vocabulary and grammar, two in-depth Dossiers focus on the society and customs of the time and describe the novel of manners, a literary genre to which most of Jane Austen’s works belong. An Audio-CD contains the complete recording of the text.