A different cup
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Pablo was suddenly very tired. He was also feeling very thirsty. So he decided to go home and make himself a nice cup of coffee. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. And though he was feeling hungry, he decided first he needed to get himself a nice drink. Normally, he wouldn't drink coffee after about 2:00 PM as he felt somehow made it more difficult for him to sleep. He was thinking about his favorite coffee cup when he suddenly realized that he had a series of habits that some people might have found a bit strange. The first habit he had was that in the morning first thing he would have a...
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Pablo in the park
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Pablo sat down on the stool in the kitchen and closed his eyes to think back for a moment. He remembered a few weeks ago being in the park near his apartment, sitting on a bench in the sun and noticing a small blackbird. “It can’t be the same one,” he thought. Then he remembered that was the day it rained. He had gone for a walk, turned his phone on silent, and sat on a park bench. One of his teachers had told him years ago that he should improve his skills in observation. So, when it rained, he stayed on the bench with his rain hat and raincoat for a few minutes, observing the...
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Pablo and the black bird
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Just as Pablo turned towards the kitchen window, he saw a bird. A little Blackbird. The little Blackbird sitting on the windowsill had small bright yellow eyes. The bird seemed to be looking almost curiously at Pablo for some reason. As if he was wondering what Pablo was about to do. Pablo stood very still. He did not want to see the bird fly away. It was not every day that Pablo had a little black bird sitting on his kitchen windowsill, but then again. He wondered. Had he seen this bird before? Was this the little bird that had been sitting outside on the steps? The same...
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Sometimes new dreams wake up
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When Pablo woke up from his dream. He suddenly realized something. He had been writing his dreams down now for many years on a Google Doc on his phone. Just little things that he could remember. Stories. People. Places. Points in time. And he had begun to realize that there were certain themes. Almost. Storyboards. Sometimes it was if he was traveling along in a dream and he would drop into another dream. Sometimes you would wake up in a dream. That was fun. He would look out a window or move through a doorway just by thinking about it. Sometimes he could navigate through dreams. He could move...
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Chat
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The smell of rain. Pablo wondered what it was called. The smell of rain. It reminded him of his home country. Pablo decided to Google it. The name of the word was Petrichor The word Petrichor means The earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil. He suddenly felt very sleepy. He decided to lay down and have a nap before making his pizza. Shortly after he lay down, there was another knock at the door. When Pablo got to the door, there was a young man with black curly hair. Standing on the unevenly, a hoverboard hovering above the ground. Coming for a ride? He asked. Pablo thought he...
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Pablo opened the door
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Pablo opened the door, and standing in front of him was Sylvia. Sylvia held a small handful of things, including a small bunch of bright-green leaves. I thought you could do with some of these? She winked. I heard you were making a pizza. What is it? Pablo asked. Arugula, she said. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ugula, she said again in her heavy accent and laughed. But where I come from, boy, we call it Rocket, and it grows like a rocket it does too. Very good for you, lad, packed with vitamin C and K, improves ye bones and keeps you healthy, boy And what...
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Knock, knock, knock. Went the door
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Pablo looked up and looked around, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror; ugh, he gasped He was still in his pajamas The kitchen was a total mess; he quickly ran and closed the bathroom door, where a wet towel was hanging and his shaving gear another disaster area, he thought to himself. Running to his bedroom, he jumped out of his pajamas and into some track pants. He grabbed a jumper, threw it over his pajama top, and quickly tucked it in He leaped over a pile of washing, grabbed some books off the floor, placed them on the table, and put the...
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Kitchen hacks
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Pablo had a busy day and realized he was getting hungry when he was thinking about his pizza. Um, he thought, what can he make quickly and easily? Something crisp and crunchy with some flavor. He had some eggs in the fridge with a blue colored shell they were a mix, the women had told him at the market but he was in a rush and did not have time to ask what they were a mix of. They always laughed and had a wry sense of humor. But Pablo knew the shady ladies, as some people had called them, were always looking out for him and spoiled him in one way or another. And he was...
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Any room for Mushrooms
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Is there any room for mushrooms? That night, Pablo had a funny dream. He was sitting up on the magic carpet. Flying above and through the clouds When he looked down, he realized the carpet was made of pizza, and he was sitting on top of a large slice of pepperoni. Large leaves of green lettuce stuck to the pizza, blew with melted cheese. Blew up, up into the air Giant wheels of fried onions and huge cloves of purple garlic bubbled away among the whole black peppercorns glistening in the sunlight. He was driving the pizza high up through...
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Serendipity
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Serendipity. Read the words while listening to the story of Pablo to improve your reading and listening in English Pablo hoped Mary was ok? when he got off the call He knew her family was very strict and did not want her to get the sickness. Many people had been sick this winter with a new kind of flu A kind of winter cold that gave people the chills. Just then, something serendipitous happened Serendipity was a new word Pablo had learned meaning - a good surprise. Pablo had just got another text from his friend about the party. The text said...
info_outlineThe smell of rain. Pablo wondered what it was called. The smell of rain. It reminded him of his home country.
Pablo decided to Google it. The name of the word was Petrichor
The word Petrichor means
The earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil. He suddenly felt very sleepy. He decided to lay down and have a nap before making his pizza.
Shortly after he lay down, there was another knock at the door.
When Pablo got to the door, there was a young man with black curly hair. Standing on the unevenly, a hoverboard hovering above the ground.
Coming for a ride? He asked.
Pablo thought he looked familiar. He couldn't quite remember where he'd met him, but he'd seen him at some point somewhere.
I'm not sure, Pablo said. Just as the young man reached out, grabbed him by the hand and placed him precariously on the back of his hoverboard. And down the stairs they went, quickly, whizzing past people who were quietly coming upstairs.
Out into the street and along the footpath, as fast as the board could carry them, they made their way outside the doors of a large bank.
Pablo jumped off the board and walked through the doors of the bank. Where there was a large queue of people standing. He stood in line.
Above him was a very large television screen, like a movie theatre.
Above him was playing an advertisement.
He looked ahead of him in the line. In front of him there was his friend Peter. Pablo looked up to the big screen and the words suddenly appeared in
Chat
Get
Peter
Too
Suddenly, Pablo woke up.
English Lesson: Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension
Objective: Identify new vocabulary words from the text above and understand the meaning of the words used in our story
"The Smell of Rain"
- Have you ever noticed a unique smell when it rains?
What experiences and feelings have you had about the smell of rain?
2. "Petrichor." Do you know what it means?
The word Petrichor can be described as "the earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil."
3. Listening to how this word relates to the story, how it might be used in other ways?
Comprehension Questions:
- What did Pablo wonder about when he smelled the rain?
- How did Pablo discover the name of the word related to the smell of rain?
- What does the word Petrichor mean?
- What did Pablo do after discovering the meaning of the word Petrichor?
- Who did Pablo meet outside his door?
- What did the young man offer Pablo?
- Where did Pablo and the young man go on the hoverboard?
- What did Pablo see when he walked into the bank?
- Who did the big screen in the bank mention?
- What happened at the end of the story?
English language vocabulary from today's lesson
- Petrichor - the earthy smell when rain falls on dry soil
- Hoverboard - a type of skateboard that hovers above the ground
- Precariously - dangerously unstable or insecure
- Queue - a line of people waiting for something
- Advertisement - a public promotion of a product or service
- Whizzing - moving quickly through the air with a buzzing sound
- Comprehension - understanding or grasp of something
- Reminded - caused someone to remember something
- Familiar - known or recognized from past experience
- Suddenly - happening quickly and unexpectedly.