SECOND GRADE CLASS: EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
READING APPROACH
  •  Oscar Wilde  
  •  English Through Stories  
  •  Idioms  
  •  Lisa Goes To Washington  



FAIRY TALES
Title Abstract Text Podcast
From the "THE HAPPY PRINCE AND OTHER TALES"

The Happy Prince

The Nightingale and the Rose

The Devoted Friend

The Remarkable Rocket

From the "A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES"

The Young King

The Birthday of the Infanta

The Fisherman and His Soul

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Star-Child



English Through Stories

English Through Stories is for intermediate and advanced learners of English who are looking for a fun, relaxing way to improve their speaking and listening skills. Each podcast is an episode of a drama or "soap opera," with romance, mystery, and sometimes...murder. Join the fun today and improve your English at the same time!

THE MISSING PERSON
Episode Title Opening Podcast
1 The Man in the Mask I didn’t kill him.
I didn’t even plan to kill him. I had a gun, but I just wanted to hurt him and stop him from attacking me. I had no idea why this stranger was hitting me, and it was ticking me off......

2 Beer and Cigarettes Some of my students know I’m an amateur detective. Before I became a university professor five years ago, I had a real job. I worked for a security agency that protected private homes, and also important people like famous actors and politicians. I learned a lot about criminals. I had also learned a lot about police work from my father, who was a cop for 34 years......

3 A Woman in Pain I put my hand on my gun, and slowly opened the door wider. I saw nothing. I carefully picked up a towel from the floor. Nothing. “There must be someone in the bathtub,” I thought....

4 Meeting at the Cafe “We have to go, Dr. Reeves!” Anne said excitedly. “That was Bill on the phone. He is at a restaurant called Cafe Pico. Sarah’s been kidnapped!”
“Kidnapped? Are you sure?” I asked, somewhat incredulously.....

5 No Police! “When does he want the money?” I asked.
“Tomorrow. He said he would call me this afternoon and tell me where to make the drop,” Bill said. “He also made it crystal clear that we were not to call the police. If I don’t hand over the money by the deadline, he said he’s going to kill Sarah!”.....

6 Kathy (Again) I drove Bill and Anne back to Sarah and Bill’s apartment building to drop them both off there. Anne had left her car there, so she could drive herself home. I told them to call me if anything new came up......

7 An Accident? Kathy came back in the room with tonight’s dinner, Italian pasta with chicken. As we ate, I told Kathy about Anne and her missing sister.
“A strange man came to Sarah and Bill Salas’s apartment building two days ago, forced them both into a car, and took them away,” I explained......

8 Tracing the Plates “Be careful! She may have broken bones,” the ambulance driver yelled.
I arrived at the accident scene just a few minutes after the police. Anne was already in the ambulance and ready to go to the hospital......

9 At the Beach So now someone wanted to kill me. But how did anyone know I was working on this case? Was Lenny part of this kidnapping in some way? I still had more questions than I had answers about this case.......

10 The Bartender Shows Up It was time to try a different approach. I decided to find John Costello first and talk to him. I wanted to find out why his car hit Anne’s and almost killed her. I knew Costello lived in Santa Monica, so I drove up the freeway and got off near Main Street......

11 Right on Schedule Things were starting to make more sense to me now. I was beginning to see what had really happened to Sarah Salas, and why she was killed. But I had no proof to show that I was right. I needed to get some real evidence. I went home and rang up Kathy Chang.......

12 Kathy to the Rescue Without thinking another second, I kicked Bill in his right knee. He screamed in pain and fell backwards on his back. The gun fell to the ground. I picked it up and pointed it at Bill.......



English Idioms

Some English Idioms from the BBC series : 'Learning English - The Teacher'



Subject Description Text File Video
Fish idioms In this episode, The Teacher introduces you to three idiomatic phrases connected with fish :

1. There's something fishy about this
2. A big fish in a small pond
3. A fish out of water
Fruit idioms In this episode, The Teacher introduces you to three idiomatic phrases connected with fruit:

1. To go bananas
2. It's a case of sour grapes
3. A second bite of the cherry
Monkey idioms In this episode, The Teacher introduces you to three idiomatic phrases connected with monkeys:

1. To monkey around
2. Monkey business
3. To make a monkey out of someone
Pie idioms In this episode, The Teacher introduces you to three idiomatic phrases connected with pies:

1. It's as easy as pie
2. Pie-eyed
3. To have a finger in many pies


The Simpsons : Lisa Goes To Washington

Abstract

While reading a copy of Reading Digest, Homer finds an entry form for an essay contest for which Lisa signs up. When she successfully wins the contest, she and the family travel to Washington, DC where the finals are to be held. Here, Lisa bears witness to the seedy underbelly of politics and becomes bitterly disappointed after learning of a bribery scandal involving Springfield’s state congressman. In her final essay, she disdains and condemns the government system, which leads to the arrest of the corrupt congressman. While she fails to win the contest, her faith in government is restored.