A WALK TO REMEMBER: A GUIDE FOR ESL STUDENTS Developed by Elena Mutonono Total course hours: 60 (30 in-class, 30 independent work) Background information on A Walk to Remember http://nicholassparks.com/stories/a-walk-to-remember/ By Nicholas Sparks (from a speech given in Berlin, Germany for Heyne Verlag, 2000) ". . . I'm often asked which novel is my favorite, but that's a question I can't really answer. It's like trying to choose between my children and all I can say is that I like them all for different reasons. I can say however, that A Walk to Remember was my favorite novel to write. I enjoyed the process of capturing the voice of a smart-alecky 17-year-old kid, and found him to be fun to write. Likewise with Jamie Sullivan. There was something intrinsically sweet about her character that gradually seemed to take over the book. It was also the only novel that made me cry while writing. A Walk to Remember was inspired by my sister. In many ways, Jamie Sullivan was my younger sister. Like Jamie, my sister was sweet. Like Jamie, my sister had tremendously strong faith. Like Jamie, my sister loved church. Like Jamie, my sister wasn't popular at school. Like Jamie, my sister was always cheerful. Like Jamie, all my sister wanted in life was to get married. And like Jamie, my sister got cancer. Like Jamie, my sister met someone. And like Landon, there was a long period of time when this fellow couldn't imagine himself marrying a girl like her. And yet, in the end, he couldn't help himself. Even when he knew she was sick, even when he knew that she might not make it, this man asked my sister to marry him. It was just about the sweetest thing that's ever been done for anyone, and I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you could get to know my sister,
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but so that you would know what a wonderful thing it was that her husband once did for her. Sadly, my sister died in June (2000). She was thirty-three years old. . ." Find definitions of the following words:
Smart-alecky
Intrinsically
To take over
Tremendously
Can’t help oneself
Other questions: 1. Find 10 definitions for the phrasal verb “take.” Make a cram story using the verbs. 2. What is the difference between in the end and at the end? What other examples like these can you give and what difference does the usage of either one make? 3. In what cases does one use the expression “I can’t help myself?”
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A WALK TO REMEMBER: A GUIDE FOR ESL STUDENTS Developed by Elena Mutonono Total course hours: 60 (30 in-class, 30 independent work) Prologue Read the prologue and complete the assignments below: Discussion -
Where does the action take place? What do we find out about the narrator? What are some significant dates that are mentioned in the prologue? What is the first sentence of the prologue? How is it supported and further developed further in the text?
Vocabulary: Translate the following words into Russian To fathom To be summed up To be packaged Down to the smallest details To roll back the clock To take something as it comes Azalea A dogwood To move in reverse Sinewy To grow dimmer A suburban sprawl To leave out
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