In this Unit you will:

• read about friends and people who care for others
• read and listen to poems
• listen to stories about amazing people
• talk about friendship
• write an e-mail to a school partner
• learn how to participate in an eTwinning project

At the end of this Unit, you should be able to:

• discuss the topic of friendship and people in need
• thank someone and respond to thanks
• report statements, orders, requests and questions

To celebrate the end of their first week as ninth
graders at a high school in Orlando, Florida, Edna
Wilks, her friend Amanda Valance and some other
students decided to go for a moonlight dip in a lake near Edna’s house. “It’s a very safe lake,” said Edna, then 15, “and we’re good swimmers”.
But as they waded and splashed in the water the
night of August 18, 2001, something broke the
surface of the lake and grabbed Edna’s left arm. “I
thought it was someone playing around,” she said.
“When I saw the alligator’s head, I didn’t have
enough time to scream. He just pulled me under and started spinning me over and over. I thought that this was the end”.
For a brief instant, the deadly alligator loosened its grip and Edna burst to the surface and cried out for help. “I saw everyone swimming away,” she said. “All the kids were heading for the shore. I screamed, ‘Come back! Please, don’t leave me’! ”
But everyone did – except for her best friend
Amanda, who didn’t panic and paddled towards her on a surf board. “I was a bit scared for a moment,”

said Amanda. “Then I thought, no, I can’t leave my
best friend out here to die.” When she reached Edna, the gator surfaced and seemed to glare at her. Amanda pushed Edna onto the board, and towed her steadily towards the shore 50 metres away. The alligator began to approach them. Although she was petrified, Amanda kept comforting Edna. “I told her, ‘Don’t give up… you must try… you can make it…’ I was crying.”
When they reached the shore, Edna’s mother and
paramedics were anxiously waiting to rush her to
hospital. Miraculously, the reptile had only snapped
Edna’s upper arm bone. “We all look up to Amanda.
If it weren’t for her incredible bravery, Edna wouldn’t be here today,” said Edna’s mum. Edna added, “Amanda’s biggest fear was being attacked by a shark or alligator, yet she still took the risk and saved me. She’s a courageous, amazing friend and she definitely qualifies as a hero!”

Adapted from: ‘Amazing Stories of Survival’
People Magazine, June 2006

Which bubble has got Edna’s actual words?

Which bubble has got words used to tell
somebody what another person said?

A reporter interviewed some of the children that were swimming with Edna on the night of the attack. Read his notes and help him finish his story.

It was a terrifying moment for all these children. I saw
some of Edna’s friends on the shore immediately after
the attack and they talked to me. Jimmy, a 14-year-old
classmate of Edna’s said that …………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
Mary …………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
Thankfully, Edna was taken to hospital very quickly and
her injuries were not very serious. It was a night these
children will never forget.

I am sitting on the bench tapping my good luck song
with my shoes when I hear the bells of an ice cream
truck. I feel the money in my pocket. I have the dime and I also have a bigger one. I know I have enough for an ice cream bar. I walk out to the curb, touching the cages around the trees. I wait until the bells sound near, and I wave. He stops. He is near enough to me to touch his cart. Now I feel him seeing me.
"Here," I say, but he does not take my money. "Guess what?" he says, and his voice is soft and kind as fur."Every tenth kid wins a free ice cream bar, and you’re the lucky one today."
I can feel him getting off his cart and going around to open the place where he keeps his ice cream bars. I can feel him putting one near my hand and I take it. I start back to my bench.
"You gonna be okay by yourself now?" the ice cream man calls. I sit on the bench. I listen for the sound of his cart starting up, and his bells ringing, but I can only hear the other sounds, the regular ones. Then I hear him walking over to my bench. I am sorry, because I only want to feel the ice cream and see how long I can make it last. I do not want anyone to sit with me now. I may dirty my clothes and I am afraid he will see me.
He starts to talk. His name is Abram. He tells me about the park. My sister says the trees are in cages because if they weren’t in cages they wouldn’t stay in such a terrible park. Abram says the trees are in cages to keep them safe so they can grow up to be big and tall.

My sister says the park is ugly and dirty. Abram
says there are a few little bits of paper, and a couple of
cans and some bottles, but he says he can squint up
his eyes and all those things lying around shine like
flowers. Abram says you see what you want to see.
My sister says the park is just for poor folks, and
that no one would ever come here if they had a chance to go anywhere else. Abram says the park is just for lucky people, like him and me. He says the people who come to this park can see things inside themselves, instead of just what their eyes tell them.
After a while Abram goes away. He says, "I will come back and look for you tomorrow". I hear his ice cream bells go farther and farther away until I do not hear them anymore. While I am waiting for my sister to come for me, I fall asleep on the bench. I have a good dream. I dream that Abram lifts me so I can touch the leaves of a tree. All of the leaves are songs,
and they fall around me and cover me. I am warm and soft under the songs. My sister shakes me awake."You’ll catch cold lying here," she says.
The next day while I am sitting on my bench, I hear the ice cream bells and I walk out to the curb, touching the cages of the trees as I go. Abram gives me an ice cream bar and we walk together back to the bench. I do not have to touch the cages because I am with him. I have made a good friend.

Adapted from: "Sound of Sunshine,
Sound of Rain", by Florence Parry Heide

3.1 Look at the photos. All of these people need
help. What can you do to help them? Complete
the table below. Add more ideas of your own.

Direct speech

Reported Speech

Present Perfect

(1) ………………………………………

Past Perfect

The boy said he had made a good friend.

will

(2) ………………………………………

(a) ………………………………

Abram said he would come back and look for him the next day.

may

(3) ………………………………………

(b) ………………………………

The boy said he might dirty his clothes.

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the .................
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the ......................,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the ..................
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, "Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an ..........................
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the .........................
Is very like a snake!

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
" ’Tis clear enough the .........................
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an ..........................
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the .......................
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long.
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

5.2 What is the point the poet is trying to make? How
does this point relate to the story of the blind boy?

5.3 Draw the animal described above based on the
opinions of the blind men. What does it look like?

2.1 Read the e-mails below and answer
the questions.
1. Who wrote them?
2. Why did they write them?
3. Who did they send them to?

We are students from a Public School in Fortaleza, a city in the northeast of
Brazil. We are 11-15 years old and we want to improve our English as much
as possible. We would be happy to find a school somewhere in Europe to start making penfriends. We would also like to invite you to our country so we can meet each other. We like sports, going to the cinema and of course writing e-mails, but we also want to make a positive impact on the lives of other children and families in need. We are concerned about the hardships and tragedies faced by other children around the globe and we want to help. Right now we are trying to organise some fundraising events to help the children who suffered the terrible earthquake in China. If anyone from anywhere in the world would like to join our project, please get in touch. I’m sure it’ll be a great experience for everyone!

We are 30 students in the 2nd Grade of high school in Singapore. Our first language is English. We also learn Malay and Chinese as our second languages. We are a vibrant class of 14-year-olds who enjoy writing about our lives here in sunny Singapore. Singapore is a multi-cultural society and there is much to share about this small, bustling, colourful city. We would like to learn about life in any European / American cities. How often can you exchange e-mails or postcards with us? How about once a fortnight? By the way, have you ever been to Singapore? We are a class of creative, imaginative and well-informed 14-year-olds who would love to meet you!

1. Is there only one way to find a school partner?
2. Is it easy to find a school partner if your school is an English-speaking one?
3. Is it always possible to find a school partner?
4. Does participating in eTwinning cost anything?
5. Can anybody register?
6. Is there a registration form that you have to fill out?
7. Do you have to send your registration form by post?
8. Is communicating through eTwinning safe?

Direct speech

Reported Speech

“Do you want to find a school partner?”

She asked them if they wanted to find a school partner.

“Have you ever taken part in an eTwinning project?”

He asked them if they had ever taken part in an eTwinning project.

Direct speech

Reported Speech

“Where do you live?”

She asked them where they lived.

“How often can you exchange e-mails?”

He asked them how often they could exchange e-mails.

6.1 This is an e-mail you’ve received
from a school partner. Read it and
answer the questions. Then
compare your answers with your
partner’s.

1. Who is sending this e-mail?
......................................................……

2. What is each paragraph about?
......................................................……
......................................................……
......................................................……
......................................................……
......................................................……
......................................................……

3. What information is there in the
attached files?
......................................................……
......................................................……
......................................................……

Dear fellow students,
We come from the state of Massachusetts in the USA! Our school is the Kendall school in a town near Boston. It’s a great school and we spend a lot of our free time on sports and other interesting activities. We also like exchanging e-mails and visiting chatrooms to see what other kids of our age have to say!
The children in our school are very close – it’s like we’re one big family.
We’re really outgoing and we’re always on the lookout for new friends. You can never have too many friends!
This week, we are organising a fundraising event for our school partner in Indonesia. We want to help them buy basic equipment for their new school. It’s good to know we can help! Our events will include traditional games, contests, dances, an auction and even a karaoke contest!
Would you be interested in helping us out?
We hope to hear from you soon.
Class 8a
Attached:
1) Who-is-who-8a.doc
2) Hobbies and interests.doc
3) Fund-raising day programme.doc

USEFUL TIPS

1. Make notes and plan your e-mail.

2. Write in an appropriate style since your new friends are the same age as you.

3. Keep your e-mails brief and attach longer texts.

4. Proofread your e-mail for mistakes.

1. Vocabulary

1.1 Cross the odd one out.

1. brave, courageous, scared, fearless
2. yell, whisper, shout, scream
3. slam, sigh, bang, crash
4. soft, smooth, rough, fluffy
5. grasp, grip, snap, grab

... / 5

1.2 Unscramble the letters and find the words
to complete the sentences.

1. I’m ………………… to cooperate with students
from other countries. egrea
2. He took the …………… and rescued her. rski
3. Her friends have a positive …………….. on her.
ipctam
4. Don’t ……………… at me. It’s not my fault! garel
5. She tightened her …………… on my arm. gipr

... / 5

1.3 Choose the right word to complete the
sentences. There is one extra word.

1. Don’t worry about her. She can ………………
herself.
2. I ………………… e-mails with my e-friend twice a
month.
3. Our school often organises …………… events to
help people in need.
4. She’s been through a lot of …………….. in her
life, but she seems strong and courageous.
5. ……………… is a quality I’ve always admired.

... / 5

2. Language focus

2.1 Report the statements and questions.

1. “I’ve called my best friend twice today”, she said.
………………………………………………………………...

2. “Our community is sponsoring a concert for
people in need”, they said.
………………………………………………………………...
3. “Do you cooperate well with each other?”, she
asked us.
………………………………………………………………...
4. “Where were you last night?”, he asked me.
………………………………………………………………...
5. “We’ll always be friends”, she said.
………………………………………………………………...

... / 5

2.2 What did the teacher say?

1. The teacher explained that we would do an eproject.
………………………………………………………………...
2. She asked us to write short e-mails and not to
include many details.
………………………………………………………………...
3. She wanted to know if we were interested in
participating.
………………………………………………………………...
4. She added that we could choose the topic of
the project.
………………………………………………………………...
5. She thought that it would be a great experience
for everyone.
………………………………………………………………...

... / 5

3. Everyday English

Complete the exchanges.
1. - Thank you for helping me with my suitcase.
- ......................... all.
2. - I really……………… your help.
- My pleasure.
3. - You left your purse in the shop. Here it is.
- That’s …………………………………………
4. - Thanks for the informative e-mail.
- ............................... I could do.
5. - That was really nice of you.
- Don’t ………………………………………

... / 5

o discuss the topic of friendship and caring for
others
o write an e-mail to a school partner
o participate in an e-project with other schools

o talk about how I can help people in need
o thank someone and respond to thanks
o report statements, questions, requests and
orders