Read the stories. Choose the one you feel is the most inspirational. Share it with the class.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 421.

Assess your progress in this unit. Say which statements are true.

Checklist

1) I can form comparatives and superlatives.

2) I can compare information to describe graphs.

3) My listening and reading are good enough to understand most of each text in this unit.

4) I can use key words to discuss the environmental impacts of transportation with my colleagues.

1. Today, my son turned 7 and I turned 23. Yes, I had him on the day I turned 16. The choices I made when I was a teenager were foolish, and sometimes I get worried I'm bringing my son up wrong. But today I took him to the park to celebrate our birthdays. He played for hours with a girl who has burn scars that cover most of her face. When my son took a break to eat, he pointed to her and said, “She's so pretty and cool!” Which left me thinking, “I must be doing something right as a mom.”

2. Today at 1AM, my grandma, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, got up, got into my dad's car and drove off. We contacted the police. But before the police could find her, two college kids pulled into our driveway with my grandma. One was driving my dad's car and the other was following in their car. They said they overheard her crying about being lost at an empty gas station 10 miles away. My grandma couldn't remember our address, but gave the kids her first and last name. They looked her up online, found our address, and drove her home.

3. Today, when I went to pick-up my daughter from preschool she was sitting on the ground in the corner of the after-care area with 3 blind students. All of them had smiles on their faces. The after-care instructor told me my daughter has been spending time with these 3 students every afternoon this week, answering questions and explaining to them in vivid detail what different objects, people and animals look like.

4. Today, I found an old hand written note my mom wrote when she was a senior in high school. On it is a list of qualities she hoped she would someday find in a boyfriend. The list is basically an exact description of my dad, who she didn't meet until she was 27

5. Today, a week after I donated three bags of clothes to a local homeless shelter, I saw a homeless woman sitting on a park bench wearing a tye-dye shirt I made when I was a teenager. I walked by her and said, “I love your shirt!” She smiled and said, “Thank you! I really do too!”

6. Today, as I pulled into my apartment complex I noticed my neighbour, who's about 8 months pregnant, struggling with her groceries. I stopped and helped her bring them up the stairs into her apartment. This evening, when I got home from the gym I found a freshly baked apple pie sealed in Tupperware sitting on my doorstep with a note that said, “I used the ingredients you helped me carry to bake this. Enjoy!”

7. Today, my 12-year-old son, Sean, and I stopped by the nursing home together for the first time in several months. Usually I come alone see my mother who's suffering from Alzheimer's. When we walked into the lobby, the nurse said, “Hi, Sean!” and then buzzed us in. “How does she know your name?” I asked. “Oh, I swing by here on my walk home from school all the time to say hi to Grandma,” Sean said. I had no idea.

8. Today, on our 10th wedding anniversary, she handed me a suicide note she wrote when she was 22. It was dated the exact day we met each other. And she said, “For all these years I didn't want you to know how foolish and unstable I was back when we met. But even though you didn't know, you saved me. Thank you.”

9. Today, when I opened my store at 5AM there was an envelope sitting on the floor by the door. In the envelope was $600 and a note that said, “Five years ago, I broke into your store at night and stole $300 worth of food. I'm sorry. I was desperate. Here's the money with 100% interest.” Interestingly, I never reported the incident to the cops because I assumed that whoever stole the food really needed it.