+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+


Find the English equivalents that correspond to the Spanish words below that appear in the story. Then, check your answers in the text.

Nanny

A person who provides care for somebody else’s children as a paid service.

Example: The nanny told the children a story at bedtime.


Imagine a change of the events in the story.

Choose one of the questions above and write a short paragraph in English. Try to include as many words from the previous activities as possible.

Then swap the texts with another group. Translate the other group’s text into Spanish trying to be as accurate as possible. Finally, comment and debate on the difficulties of the translation undertaken by you with the rest of the class.


Investigate about other plagues in the history of the United Kingdom or Ireland, such as The Great Plague of London or The Great Famine of Ireland.


Using the words of the previous activity in English, make a sentence with each one. Then your partner will translate the sentence into Spanish without looking up the meanings.


Find at least 5 mistakes in this summary of the story. Then, check its translation, and find 5 different mistakes in it as well.

Euphemia and Fabian came across anything very strange in their glass and it came out to be a tiny dragon. His father, who was a doctor, found the case very curious and called his friend, the professor, who found this very normal and got alarmed about it. The kids wanted to play with dragons, but her mother asked them to go to bed during the day and get up during night, as dragons were afraid of darkness. In the end, the siblings decided to talk to Saint George, the hero of dragons, who helped them and told them where to find the taps with the solution. The kids found the office of the taps of the universe in the mountain and finally, the change the time to extinct dragons. /

Eufemia y Fabian se encontraron con algo en un cristal que resultó ser un dragón diminuto. Su padre, que era médico, vio que era un caso muy extraño y llamó a su amigo el investigador, quien encontró la anécdota algo muy habitual y no se preocupó por ello. Los niños tenían que dormir por la noche y jugar durante el día, porque los dragones tenían miedo a la oscuridad. Al final, los hermanos decidieron hablar con San Jorge, el héroe de los dragones, que les ayudó y les dijo dónde encontrar las espitas con la solución. Los niños no encontraron las espitas del universo y finalmente, pudieron cambiar el tiempo para que los dragones se extinguieran.

Bayonet

A weapon that consists of a knife attached to the front end of a rifle.

Example: Bayonets were used in close fighting long ago.

Sabre

A heavy sword with one sharp curved edge.

Example: My grandfather has a sabre on the wall from the Mexican war.


Indefinite pronouns are words used to refer to people, things, places or time without being exact. There are different types of indefinite pronouns: some are used for affirmative sentences, others for negative ones. Also, some of them have a positive meaning whereas others have a negative one.

Here you have some examples of indefinite pronouns:

Now, translate these sentences into Spanish paying special attention to the meaning of the indefinite pronouns in bold. Then check them in the Spanish text. Finally, debate with the rest of the class: How are they translated? Did you make any mistakes? What caused them?


Indefinite pronouns tend to be confusing between English and Spanish. Typical mistakes in English include the following:

Now, correct the mistakes in these sentences. Then, find more examples of indefinite pronouns in the English version of this story and translate them into Spanish. Finally, check the Spanish text. Did you make any mistakes?


Find the words that describe dragons in pages 7 to 10. Then, paint your own dragon with some of these characteristics. Then, in groups, describe your dragon in English without showing your picture to the others. The rest of the students have to paint a dragon according to your description. Once you have finished, show your drawings and compare them. Did they all follow your description?

Now, how would you describe your dragon in Spanish? Pay attention to both the nouns and the adjectives that you use.

Lead

A grey metal which is very heavy.

Example: That shield is made of lead to protect the doctor against radiation.


Translate the following expressions into English. Then compare them with the Spanish version of the story. Are they similar to your translation? Explain their meaning in English using your own words.


Translate the word “entonces” in these sentences:

Debate: How is it translated into English? Is it always translated using the same word?


Find three words in the Spanish text containing the letter “a”. How are they pronounced? Are they pronounced the same way or differently? Now, find three words containing the letter “a” in the English story. Are they all pronounced the same way too?

Find at least a couple of words in the English story in which the letter “a” is pronounced as / ɑ /, as in father (page 7)

and marble (page 11);

others that are pronounced as /eɪ/, as in way (page 11)

and lately (page 13);

and others pronounced as / ə /, as in had (page 13)

and was (page 13).


In this story, Euphemia and Henry are the heroes of their country as they put an end to the plague of dragons.

Investigate about English heroes and describe at least one.

Investigate about them too and give at least one example.

Then, compare them and find the three main similarities and differences between them.

Alcubilla

A famous Spanish legal dictionary written by lawyer Marcelo Martínez Alcubilla in the 19th century.

Divine Comedy

A long narrative poem by 14th century Italian author Dante Alighieri. It is considered to be one of the greatest works of world literature.


Although Saint George is probably a legendary character who lived in Capadoccia in Roman times, he is the protagonist of many traditions both in England and in Spain nowadays.

Investigate about Saint George and the related traditions in both countries. Then, compare them: are there any noticeable similarities and differences?

Cloak

A long, loose, outer garment without sleeves that is used as a coat, to protect the wearer from the cold.

Example: The wizard had a purple cloak with stars on it.

Moors

North African Muslims.

Example: In the Middle Ages the Moors introduced many new scientific techniques to Spain and the rest of Europe.

Wheeled Board

A plank with wheels underneath. It can be a skateboard, which is a flat, short, narrow board that has four wheels on the bottom and is used for practising a sport.

Example: It is more fun to stand on your skateboard than to sit on it.


Texto y contexto: Actividad para motivar al lector, introduciéndolo en la temática de la historia y su contexto histórico y cultural.
Vocabulario: Actividad para la adquisición de nuevo léxico que aparece en el texto.
Comunicación: Actividad para analizar la producción e interacción interpersonal en cada una de las lenguas.
Indagación gamificada: Actividades misceláneas para profundizar en aspectos relevantes del contenido de la historia con un enfoque proactivo y lúdico.
Fonética: Actividad para trabajar el reconocimiento de palabras y el análisis de las similitudes y diferencias de los sonidos en ambas lenguas.
Gramática: Actividad para trabajar aspectos morfológicos y sintácticos que aparecen en el texto.
Contexto y cultura: Actividad para conocer aspectos socioculturales y pragmáticos característicos de cada lengua.
Audio: Pista de audio del cuento completo y por páginas.

Rivadeneyra

A famous Spanish editor who lived in the 19th century, who published many Spanish works and collections with high quality.