CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

When I was a little girl I used to live in the countryside. I lived in Cerro
Chato since I was 6 months old until I was six years old. My mother was
the principal at a school there. I used to be very shy when I met
somebody for the first time, but once I felt comfortable I was very
friendly. The picture shows ………. From those days there are a couple
of things that I clearly remember.

I remember I loved living there. The place was absolutely quiet, and
when there were not lessons, the whole school was mine. I used to play
hide and seek with my little sister. Climbing and hiding on the trees was
my favourite part. During spring I used to sit on the window’s ledge and
stay there for hours reading stories. Once, I was happily reading my
favourite book (“The little prince”) and all of a sudden I fell asleep and I
fell down. I was really scared because my knees were bleeding. That
was the last time I sat on the window’s ledge.

My second recollection is about a celebration. As my mum was the

principal of the school, from time to time she organized activities, such
as matinees or festivals, to collect money for the school’s maintenance. I
remember helping her to prepare the invitations and the food to offer
during the parties. What I enjoyed the most from those events was the
dancing time!! I loved dancing with the rest of the kids who attended.
They were very special for me. I had no age to go to school yet, but as I
always joined my mum’s lessons, her students knew me and I
considered them my friends.

These scenes that remind of me crying and having fun make me realize
the simplicity of my life when I was a little girl. Now things are not as
easy but, be sure that from those simple moments I learnt a lot. When I
was a little girl I was much more adventurous and open to people, but
during my life I have been surrounded by people who are not trustworthy
and who have tried to throw a spanner in the works. Today I have a
cautious personality; I tend to have the red lights on people and
situations in order to protect myself.
PART 1 (COMPREHENSION)

1. Skim the text and find:

o A place:

o A season of the year:

o A member of the family:

o An activity:

o A feeling:

2. Answer the following questions.

a) How old was Giovanna when she moved to the countryside?

b) Which is her first memory?

c) What did she do in order not to repeat the bad situation?

d) Which is her second memory?

e) Why did she enjoy dancing with the other children at the party?

f) Were these happy or sad memories?

PART 2 (TEXT LEVEL)

1. What is, in your opinion, the (social) PURPOSE of the text?

2. Who is going to read this text? (AUDIENCE)

3. What kind of text is it? (Tick the correct option)

a) A story

b) A biography

c) biographical recount

d) A personal description
e) A definition

4. What things in the text made you think it is a….. ? Discuss

with a classmate.

5. Can you identify different “moments” or STAGES in

the text? Signal them with boundaries, please.

6. Suggest names for the stages of this text:

a)
b)

c)

7. Read Giovanna’s recount and answer:

a) What is the recount about?

b) Who are the main and
secondary human
participants?

c) How many memories (events) does Giovanna mention?

 d) Write the main topic / idea in each recollection:

● The first recollection is about:

● The second memory refers to:

e) What is/are Giovanna’s comment/s about her memories?

PART 3 (CLAUSE LEVEL)

1. This is a sentence in which Giovanna refers to her
memories:

“…there are a couple of things that I clearly

remember”
Underline in red at least two other sentences
in which Giovanna refers to her memories again.

2. You usually place your memories in

TIME. Find expressions Giovanna used in
her text and underline them in blue.
Example: “When I was a little girl…”
 3. a) Find in the text and transcribe:

● A completed (finished) action in the past.

● An action in progress (happening) in the past.

● A past routine.

b) Use these expressions to write about two

things you did every day when you were little. (It could
help you choose the memories you will write about, later
on.)
 PART 4 (WORD LEVEL)
1. Take a look at a passage of Giovanna’s first recollection:

“…I remember I loved living there. The place was

absolutely quiet, and when there were not lessons,
the whole school was mine. I used to play hide and
seek with my little sister. Climbing and hiding on the
trees was my favourite part. During spring I used to
sit on the window’s ledge and stay there for hours
reading stories. Once, I was happily reading my
favourite book (“The little prince”) and all of a
sudden I fell asleep and I fell down. I was really
scared because my knees were bleeding.. That was
the last time I sat on the window’s ledge…”

a) Underline all the PROCESSES

b) Complete the chart:

VERB (as it appears in BASE FORM MEANING

the text)

c) Which are the verb tenses that appear in the text?

d) Find in the text two sentences that indicate probability or
possibility. Copy the phrases:
1-
2-

e) Now take a look at a passage of Giovanna’s second memory:

“…My second recollection is about a celebration. As my mum

was the principal of the school, from time to time she
organized activities, such as matinees or festivals, to collect
money for the school’s maintenance. I remember helping her
to prepare the invitations and the food to offer during the
parties. What I enjoyed the most from those events was the
dancing time!! I loved dancing with the rest of the kids who
attended. They were very special for me. I had no age to go to
school yet, but as I always joined my mum’s lessons, her
students knew me and I considered them my friends…”

a. Find in the text words that “link” two or more

“ideas” and underline them.

b. What other linkers or connectors do you know?

●
●
●
●
●
f) In the following passages from the text you will find
many DESCRIPTIVE words. Underline them and look
for their meaning in the dictionary if necessary.

“…When I was a little girl I used to live in the countryside. I lived in

Cerro Chato since I was 6 months old until I was six years old. My
mother was the principal at a school there. I used to be very shy
when I met somebody for the first time, but once I felt comfortable I
was very friendly..”.

PART 5
1. Now, it is your turn to write about your own
memories. Recall two memories from your
childhood. Use the expressions you used in
PART 2, task 7.b to help your writing.
2. Try giving more details answering the following questions:
a) What happened?
b) Where did it happen?
c) When?
d) Who was with you?
3. Add descriptive words and connectors you
learned in PART 4 for a richer text.

a)
b)

4. Write an orientation stage for your recount.

Use Giovanna’s orientation as a model and the following ideas:
Who?/When?/Drive attention to photo/State the purpose of
the text

5. Now, write a comment or conclusion for your recount.

You might think about the following questions to help
your writing:
a) Were these happy or sad memories?
b) Why were those moments significant for you?
 c) Did you learn something from them?
d) Do they represent the kind of person you are or the
kind of childhood you had?

6. Finally, order the stages in a clean copy adding a

picture from those days.