Matilda by Roald Dahl (reading activities)

Write an imaginary interview with the author of the book (answers missing)

What inspired you to write this book?

How was the book accepted by the public?

Do you believe that telekinetic powers really exist? Would you like to have them?

What did your family say about the idea of telekinetic powers?

Was it hard to stay focused on writing this book?

Are you satisfied with the success of your story?

Do you consider 'Matilda' one of the best books you have ever written?

How long did it take to write this book?

What is the message of your story?

Vladimir Jakšić, VIII2. May 2012

Prepare a quiz

Who is Matilda?

She is a girl who did not have a nice childhood.

What are the names of Matilda's parents?

They are called Tinija and Henry.

Where does Matilda spend her free time?

In the library and with friends from school.

What is the name of Matilda's teacher?

Her name is Miss Honey.

What is the name of the headteacher of Matilda's school?

Her name is Mrs Truchbull.

Does Matilda have any brothers or sisters?

She has one brother.

What is the name of Matilda's brother?

His name is Michael.

What is the relationship of Miss Honey and Mrs Truchbull?

Mrs Truchbull is Miss Honey's aunt. She is half-sister of Miss Honey's father.

Where does Matilda have to live with her parents?

She is supposed to live in Spain.

Since Matilda was adopted by Miss Honey, is she happy now?

Yes, now she lives a happy life.

Dragan Ševo, VIII2, May 2012

Best friends (articles)

Everyone has a person or two they admire, that special person who shows a great example of doing something others say it couldn’t be done. The person I admire most is my BFF Jelena.

We met at a summer camp two years ago. Although we have known each other for just a while, it feels like we have known each other since kindergarten at least.

Jelena is tall, skinny and has wavy blond hair.

She is there for you 24-7 and never even breaks a smile. For example, whenever I ask her for a favour, she always puts her hand on my shoulder and says, ‘You don’t even have to ask, just tell me and I’ll do it.’

Jelena is a very good athlete. She’s good at basketball, swimming and volleyball. She has two silver and one bronze medals and several diplomas.

The reason why Jelena is the person I admire most is because she’s a good athlete, there for you and on top of everything an awesome friend to have.

Milica Marić, VIII2, May 2012

The name of my best friend is Tamara. We met each other on vacation. She lives in Belgrade.

She has short, curly brown hair and brown eyes. Tamara is very tall and slim. She has thin lips, too.

Tamara loves English and Maths. She is very smart and takes part in different competitions. She goes in for volleyball and handball. 

Tamara is very intelligent and funny. She is also well organised. She can do all the stuff for school and still has enough free time. 

Tamara is very stubborn and can sometimes be very annoying. But, she is a good listener and always gives me some advice. I love her. She is my best friend!  

Dobrila Bokan, VIII1, May 2012

My Ideal Holiday (letters)

Imagine that you're on holiday at your favourite destination. Write a letter to your friend telling him/her what visitors can do there, what sights they can see, what you're doing, and things like that.

Dear Tom,
I'm writing you from Leptokaria, Greece. It' s a small city with not so many activities.
The weather's great. It's hot and sunny. We had rain only for one day.
I'm here with my brother, mother and my friends, Dušan, Milorad, Stefan and Andrej. We're all swimmers.
The hotel's good. We have the Internet, TV and our own kitchen.The food's excellent. Every day we eat gyros and ice cream. We play beach volleyball.
Two days ago we were in Aqua park in Salonica. It was one of the best days on this holiday. An aqua park' s a very good place to have fun. I like the speed and water. I've found all that in this park. Everything had been super until I got hurt. I hit the concrete!
I suggest Leptokaria for family people who like a peaceful place. The beach's sandy. The water's clear and hot. It's so perfect I never want to leave!
See you soon,
Your friend, Igor

Igor Pavlić, VIII2, 3 May 2012

Hi, Abby,
I've finally arrived in London! I can't believe it, my dream has come true!
My little hotel's so cosy and beautiful.
I'm sitting on the couch right now, drinking some tea and I can't be happier! It's a bit cloudy now, but the weather's just fine. I'm going on a tour with my group later, to take some pictures! I'll e-mail them tomorrow. I just can't wait to take pictures of their telephones and the Big Ben!
I've met a few people here and we're roommates now. Ivonne and Sam are with me. They're from Scotland and Wales. They're so funny and friendly!
I love the shops here. I'll bring you an amazing souvenir! Something you really want... Guess!
Tomorrow I'm going to the restaurant I've already ordered breakfast from. It couldn't have been more delicious! I've never tasted better eggs and bacon in my entire life! I can't wait to get there tomorrow! I'm going there for some lunch break after taking some pictures.
The sites can't be better! London's such a beautiful city! I would really like the two of us to visit it together next year. It would be so much fun!
I really love London, but I really miss you, Abby, and the others. Send them lots of hugs and kisses. I'll bring a souvenir for every single one of you!
XOXO,
Angela

Anđela Kovljenić, VIII1, 3 May 2012

Dear Sister,
I'm in Golubac. It's a beautiful and peaceful place, next to the big river of Danube.
We have great weather with a lot of sun, but it's not warm all the time. We have a lot of shade under the big poplar trees.
Our fishing trip's doing great! Until now, we've caught four big carps and two perches! Our fishing spot's perfect! We have the beautiful nature around us. We sleep in our tent and have all the necessary equipment.
Golubac is a very cute place on the map of Serbia with a lot of kind and good people, but the only thing I don't like is the rubbish all around us. I hope that some people will do something about it and make Golubac nicer than it is now!
Lots of love,
Joca

Jovan Kovačević, VIII3, 3 May 2012

Dear Jelena,
I’m writing from Venice, Italy. The weather’s great. It’s sunny and a bit windy.
I’ve made new friends, Alexandra from Russia and Samantha from Canada.
Each place I visit in Venice is great. The other day I went with Alexandra on a boat trip. We saw the whole city on water. The following day, Samantha, Alexandra and I went to a restaurant. We tried a pizza called ‘The pineapple surprise’ and then pastas. The food was amazingly delicious.
One of the interesting things about Venice is that it’s the only city on water in the world.
I also like the souvenirs. I’ve never thought Venice could be so beautiful and lovely. I recommend it to everyone, especially you.
See you back home.
Love,
Mimma

Milica Marić, VIII2

Dear Jelena,
I’m writing to you from the big island of Hawaii. My friends and I came up with an idea to come here last week.
We arrived on Monday and we’re in the 5-star Europa hotel.
We’re amazed by the coast. It’s always summer here, as we’ve heard, with only few rainy days a year.
So far Mima, Jaca, Vlada, Jovana and I have played volleyball on the beach, been scuba diving and jet skiing. We’ve also visited the Museum in Honolulu and some volcanoes.
The other evening, we wee in a national restaurant and the dishes were tasty, but don’t ask me for their names, because I don’t remember them.
On the island, there are a lot of palm trees. The beaches are sandy and the water around the island is so clear.
I’m having an amazing holiday here. I’ve learnt many new things about Hawaii and I would advise you to go there as well.
I’m very happy to have my dream come true and I’ve had the chance to visit such an exciting place.
See you soon,

Denis Nastovski VIII2

Dear Tom,
How is it back there? I’m having so much fun here in France. The weather is amazing. It’s hot and sunny. I’m going to take pictures of Paris in about an hour. I can’t wait!
I’m here with Tanya and Sam. They’re so fine and funny. We met on the bus and we spend every moment together!
I love my little hotel. It’s so great. The food’s a bit expensive, but it’s delicious. I love the Eiffel Tower. My dream’s finally come true! The people are so kind…
I wish you were here with me. We would have so much fun together. Maybe next year?
Kisses,
Siniša

Siniša Danić, VIII1

My Dream Job (narrative essays)

Write an essay about your dream job. The following questions might help you:
- What's the perfect job for you?
- Why do you want to do that job?
- What qualifications do you need?
- What do you have to do every day if you have that job?
- Is there anything about that job you wouldn't enjoy?

Many years ago, when I was a small child, I admired adventures. I think that since I breathed in for the first time and felt the ground underneath my feet, when for the very first time I looked at the night sky and its many eyes, I wished to live the life of an adventurer. To stride the deserts, to explore the jungles, to wander through the lost cities and to dive into the deep darkness of the ocean I find extremely exciting. My wish is to be an adventurer.

To be an adventurer you need some qualities. You need to know how to get out of some risky and dangerous situations. You need to know how to survive. It would also be recommended to know how to sail, because a good sailor is a good adventurer. What is more, the most epic adventures are found on the sea.

The best thing about going on an adventure is that it is really exciting, filled with thrill and danger. And, I know it is a bit cliche, but danger is my middle name. Another good thing about adventure is the sights you see, the beautiful forests, and the castles... so many wonderful castles that have numerous ancient tales about knights and dragons.

But like every human has his disadvantages, going on adventures has its bad sides too. In all the thrill and danger, many have lost their lives.

And so 'through the darkness and night a beam of light appears and the Dovahkiin comes,' as the legend says. One day, a man shall appear and repel all the evil, he'll kill all the foes of his land. But more importantly, he will win, he will conquer all the obstacles and get to his goal. And, by following his steps, I will become an adventurer for sure.

Rastko Zamurović, VIII2, 3 May 2012

I have always dreamed about being a pilot. It is a job that I have liked since I was a kid. The aeroplanes are very important in the modern world. I find them interesting and I appreciate the people who fly them because it is a very serious and responsible job.

The good sides of the job are a unique experience and a thought that you are doing something important for all the people on the plane.

The bad side is the huge responsibility for everyone on the plane.

For this job it is very important to be in a good shape. You should also be perfectly healthy and have a considerable responsibility for all the people on the plane. You really need to be a mentally stable person.

Not all the people can be pilots. As I get to know about this job more, I'm starting to believe that you have to be born for it. I hope that one day my dream will come true and I will be flying in the sky just like I have always dreamed. I also love this job because I love the blue colour of the sky.

Dejan Škorić, VIII1, 3 May 2012

As a little kid I always liked computers and wanted to work at them. I wanted to be a programmer.

Lots of members of our generation would like to have this fun job.

As far as skills are concerned, you only need the basic programming stuff. You need to know which programme you should use, what codes you should type and at last you need to have a good computer for it.

The good qualities include your ability to make all kinds of games you can enjoy. You can also make programmes for a computer to do all the filing for you and much more.

For bad qualities, I can only say that you can damage your eyesight.

The reasons why you should do this job is mainly because it is a lot of fun and comfortable, and you can enjoy yourself each day you work.

Dejan Kovačević, VIII2, 3 May 2012

My dream job is to work in the army.

To be able to work in the army you need really good grades and physical abilities.

There are good and bad sides of army life. Some of the good sides are when you learn to defend yourself, to swim, to drive a truck, or to shoot from all weapons. It is real fun when you can go to lots of places like mountains or a desert.

But one of the scariest things in the army is when you jump from an aeroplane with a parachute. However, when you overcome your fear, it becomes really exciting. On the other hand, we are always on some missions or trips. The payment is good, though.

However, we spend really little time with our families.

I have chosen this job because I love the army, weapons and of course jumping with a parachute. One of the beautiful things is when you march with your friends.

I would recommend everybody to join the army, because, after all, you will meet friends for the whole life and they will help you with everything.

Aleksa Rosić, VIII2

Since I was little I've liked to travel, meet new people and talk. I guess that is why I have always wanted to be a tour guide.

For this job you need to know at least one foreign language. English is especially required. You need to be talkative, which also means that you have to be very sociable. You need to know geography and what is very important the parts of history, which I find very interesting. You need to know how to do simple tasks on the computer and how to deal with lists and papers, because this job also includes organising.

What I like most about this job is the fact that it has more good than bad sides. The job includes travelling, seeing all the beauty in the nature, in magnificent things all around the world. It brings excitement and joy. Being in contact with people is something I find great. Making new friends can always take you somewhere else.

The bad side of this job is responsibility, I think. You are responsible for all the people you guide, for the papers and good holiday time.

My mum has always said that I was born for this job. As I am growing older I can see that she is right. One day, I would like to go. see all the places on the Earth and say that I have been everywhere! I want to learn new languages, make more friends and enjoy my life with having the job as a tour guide.

Teodora Stankov, VIII1

My dream job is to be a fashion designer.

Designers need to be very creative and to show a developed skill in aesthetic assessment. Also, it is very important to have a sense of technical problems and space. They have to be precise in their work. It is desirable to draw well, to love collaboration with other people and to be communicative and willing to work long hours and occasionally forgo the rest.

The advantages of this job are: travelling around the world, meeting other designers, etc.

One of the disadvantages is not having the time for the others and yourself. This job requires a lot of hard work.

Why, then, is this job my dream job? Well, I adore fashion, love creating things and I have enough imagination for this job. Simply, this is something that I love and something I could do all my life.

Nevena Grubišić, VIII1, 3 May 2012

Everyone has passion for something. Some have passion for sports, others for music, but very few of them for animals. My dream job is to become an animal cop, to work at The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

To become an RSPCA inspector you must be physically fit, including the ability to swim. You must be patient and hardworking in order not to make mistakes.

The advantage of this job is living for better tomorrow for animals and also hoping that one day humans and animals can live in harmony.

The disadvantage is that more than 50% of the animals brought to RSPCA shelter do not survive. We must remember that very few people like working with animals and that we are fighting for the animals’ safety and better living conditions. That is the reason why I would like to work at the RSPCA shelter.

Milica Marić, VIII2

I’m going to finish primary school soon and I have to make a decision what to do in the future. I don’t need a lot of time to decide about my future occupation. I’d like to be a pharmacist.

Skills of hands and fingers, fast counting and the love for chemistry are required. I have all those qualities. A pharmacist has to know all the drugs, their chemical reactions, their ingredients and how to use and keep them.

The advantage is that the job is clean, human and nice. You work in a lab, pharmacy and pharmacy shop.

Disadvantage is that you can ruin your health and to prevent this you must wear protective equipment.

I like this job because it is clean and I want to help kids and people to save their health.

Denis Nastovski, VIII2

I dream of becoming a physicist and working at CERN, the European nuclear research facility.

It is situated in Geneva, Switzerland. Only the most intelligent scientists in the world are hired. These are physicists, software engineers, mechanical engineers and other scientists. To get hired there, a person must be very smart, of course, and very hardworking.

In CERN I would do the things beyond anyone's imagination, discovering new particles, unrawelling the world's greatest mysteries and answering the biggest questions. Antimatter and tonnes of subatomic particles, for which electrons are as huge as a planet to us, were discovered there, theories proven.

They have the world's biggest particle accelerator LHC or the Large Hadron Collider, which can create particles like antimatter out of nothing. But, experimental physics and particle physics are very dangerous. The LHC can show us the birth of the Universe, create a new one out of nothing in the shape of two particles, matter and antimatter. Imagine what would happen if something went wrong!

The leading scientist there is Stephen Hawking, who has a new unifying theory of everything, the String theory, which unites Einstein's theory of relativity and quantum theory and which is based on twenty-six dimensions!

It is my dream job because there I would be able to build the future and answer the questions about the universe.

Filip Ivetić, VIII3, 3 May 2012

I would like to be a police officer.

A police officer should be in a good physical and mental condition. He should run fast, be strong and well-trained so he could do complex physical tasks. The tasks include chasing the villains or fighting them.

A police officer must also be fearless and skillful so he could be good in dangerous situations. He should also be very careful and not involve his emotions.

Police officers help the innocent people who get in trouble and do something good for the world.

Another reason why I would like to be a police officer is that I would have the power to bring the order and justice to this chaotic world. So, I truly hope that my dream will come true some day.

Milan Reljin, VIII3

My Hero (descriptive essays)

Who is the hero in your life? What's his/her name? What does he/she look like? What's he/she like? Why do you admire this person? Describe your hero in an article.

 

My hero is my best classmate, Igor Pavlić. We first met on the 1st of September 2004. It was the first day of elementary school.

Igor is a handsome fourteen-year-old teen. He has been taking swimming lessons for eight years and that is why he has got big muscles. Igor weighs seventy-five kilos and he is one hundred and eighty centimetres tall. He has got brown hair and blue eyes.

He is a very social, brave, hardworking boy with a very big heart. When you ask him for help, he will do that with pleasure. Sometimes, when people make him mad, he becomes very rude, even if you are innocent. That is his flaw.

Igor is very popular in swimming. He has won so many medals that he might build a golden house.

Igor is my hero because he is smart, clever and has got bigger muscles than me. Another important reason why I have chosen Igor is trust.

Filip Smiljanić, VIII2

My hero’s name is Stan Lee. He makes a living by writing and drawing comic books. His most famous comics are: Spiderman, Iron Man, The X Men…

I heard about him when I was 6 years old. I was watching the movie ‘Spiderman’ and at the end of the credits I saw an interesting sentence: ‘Based on the original idea by Stan Lee.’

As I grew older, I started seeing him more like my role model, not just the guy who writes comics for people’s amusement.

Nowadays, Stan is old. He has grey hair, green eyes and for some reason he always wears sunglasses.

He has lots of personal qualities that he reflects in his comics. For example, he thinks that superheroes should not be perfect and indestructible. His creations are made like normal persons who cares bout the other persons and are not selfish.

I do not know much about his hobbies. I just know that he likes to draw and to write stories.

These days, Stan Lee is one of the most famous people in the world, because his comics were made into hit films, and he has a TV series called ‘Stan Lee’s Superhumans’ where he shows that there are superheroes in our everyday life.

I feel that Stan is a hero to a lot of people in the world and he will remain a hero long after he’s gone.

Csaba Kurunci, VIII5

All of us have a special person in our lives. For me, it is my mother.

According to me, she is the most beautiful person in the world. She has always a smile on her face and she never gets angry. She is always in a good mood and she is always there for me.

My mum is honest, reliable, patient, friendly, sociable, helpful and optimistic. She helps everybody who asks her for any kind of help. That is why all my relatives and neighbours love and respect her.

All her life she has been a mother, wife and housewife and has dedicated her life to us. My success is her biggest achievement.

I am thankful to her because she gave me the birth and I can say she is the best mum in the world.

Denis Nastovski, VIII2

Regional Foreign Languages Competition 2012

Two of my oldest students took part in the Regional Foreign Languages Competition on sunny 29 April 2012.

Filip Ivetić VIII3 and Čaba Kurunci VIII5

The exam consisted of 3 parts: reading and listening comprehension and language in use tests.

Comics

Kosana Jakonić IV4

Nikolina Adamov IV4