We've started exploring this saga with B2 level (FCE) teen groups. The book "TreasureChest" is a treasure trove of content, and in terms of complexity, it's perfectly suited for the B2 level, even though it's not an adapted version. It comes with an excellent audio rendition. This bestseller inspired the popular teen series "The Vampire Diaries" from 2009. https://ororo.tv/ru/shows/the-vampire-diaries  And its spin-off, "The Originals" from 2009. https://ororo.tv/ru/shows/the-originals  There are discrepancies from the source material, which can be a great discussion point with students.     * The materials were generated by GPT4 chat, have been pre-checked by methodologists, and will be adjusted and supplemented before their use throughout the academic year.

Matching the book chapters to the movie episodes.

Work on the book chapters

A few examples of TreasureChest.

Appearance (Description of appearance):

1. "Elena Gilbert, cool and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be."
2. "She finally chose a pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae."
3. "Elena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon."

Nature/Weather (Description of weather, nature):

1. "The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down."
2. "Maple Street was deserted. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent."
3. "It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it."
4. "The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her."
5. "But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter."

Feelings/Thoughts:

1. Something awful is going to happen today. - Expectation or premonition of something bad
2. I feel so scared. So lost. - Feeling of fear and loss
3. I've never felt so utterly and completely lost. - Deep feeling of loss
4. It's me that's out of place. - Feeling of being out of place or alien
5. Is that why I'm scared? Am I frightened of them? - Fear or apprehension of meeting someone
6. It was all so completely ridiculous. - Feeling of absurdity or ridiculousness of the situation
7. Her earlier fears had melted away, forgotten. - Feeling that the fear has gone or dissipated
8. All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. - Return of unpleasant feelings or emotions
9. She felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. - Physical manifestation of embarrassment or confusion
10. heard the shaking anger in her own voice. - Anger or irritation in the voice
11. relief sweeping through her like sunlight. - Feeling of relief or calm
12. How could she have been so silly? - Feeling of silliness or naivety
13. He felt his face twist in regret. - Feeling of regret or remorse
14. He was tired of living in shadows. - Feeling of fatigue or exhaustion from constantly being in the shadows
15. Most of all, he was tired of being alone. - Deep feeling of loneliness
16. A bitter smile curved his lips. - Bitter smile expressing disappointment or sarcasm
17. Stefan's throat tightened. - Physical manifestation of anxiety or concern

These phrases can be used to discuss and analyze the feelings and emotions of characters in the context of the plot.

Teacher's TreasureChest and ways to spin it in class.

1. "Something awful is going to happen today."

   • Application: Before starting a difficult test or exam, to add a little humor and relax the atmosphere
   • Example: "Before starting the test, I want to say: 'Something awful is going to happen today'. Just kidding! You'll do great!"

2. "It's me that's out of place."

   • Application: When the teacher makes a mistake on the board or forgets something important
   • Example: "Oops, I forgot to give you homework. 'It's me that's out of place' today!"

3. "This was all so completely ridiculous."

   • Application: When students are too noisy or behave inappropriately
   • Example: "Do you really think I won't notice you whispering? 'This was all so completely ridiculous'."

4. "The morning ritual of washing and dressing was soothing."

   • Application: Discussing morning rituals or habits
   • Example: "What are your morning rituals? For me, 'The morning ritual of washing and dressing is soothing'."

5. "You could always tell everyone you stopped to throw stones at a Peeping Tom."

   • Application: When a student is late for class
   • Example: "Late again? 'You could always tell everyone you stopped to throw stones at a Peeping Tom'. But better just come on time."

6. "He wasn't sure why he'd chosen Fell's Church, Virginia."

   • Application: Discussing the choice of a place for a trip or vacation
   • Example: "Wherever you go on vacation, sometimes we think: 'I wasn't sure why I'd chosen this place'."

7. "He'd renounced the darkness; he'd left the shadows behind him."

   • Application: Discussing changes in life or overcoming difficulties
   • Example: "When you face difficulties, remember you can say: 'I've renounced the darkness; I've left the shadows behind me'."

Grammatical structures of level B2

1. Future Continuous:

   • "I will be waiting for her in the parking lot."

2. Past Perfect Continuous:

   • "I had been feeling so utterly and completely lost."

3. Mixed conditionals:

   • Not found in the provided excerpt.</ li>

4. Wish + Past Simple/Past Perfect:

   • "I wish I had a reason to be upset."

5. Would + infinitive:

   • "There would never be a place where he could belong completely."

6. Derivative words (suffixes, prefixes):

   • Unaccustomed: "Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face."
   • Rejoin: "What made him think that he could rejoin the world of daylight?"

7. Conjunctions and linking words:

   • But: "There's no reason for me to be upset and every reason for me to be happy, but…"
   • And: "Just then Aunt Judith let a suitcase crash down on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh and said,"
   • While: "The day before yesterday, while Aunt Judith and Margaret and I were driving back from the airport,"
   • Because: "But as she stared at it, Elena felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was… looking at her."

8. Comparative degrees:

   • More: "It was the biggest crow she had ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye."
   • Most: "And the most horrible feeling I've ever felt in my life came over me."

9. Modal verbs:

   • Could: "He could rejoin the world of daylight?"
   • Might: "He might come to like the people of Fell's Church."
   • Would: "He would have hunted something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was."

Treasure Chest

Appearance:

• "Caroline had grown at least an inch and was slinkier and more like a Vogue model than ever."
• "Bonnie hadn't grown at all, and her curly red head barely came up to Elena's chin."
• "Meredith never wore any makeup; but then, with perfect olive skin and heavy black lashes, she didn't need any."
• "Caroline's green eyes barely flickered toward Elena, and she pushed glossy auburn hair out of her face."

Feelings/Emotions:

• "Elena was wild with curiosity by now."
• "Elena was taken aback."
• "Elena watched him as he went. He'd deliberately turned away from her."
• "The teacher's face was red with blood, and he was sputtering."
• "Students were grinning. The teacher's face was red with blood, and he was sputtering."

Nature|Weather:

• (No relevant phrases from the provided content)

 Treasure Chest (Appearance, Nature, Feelings)

1. Appearance:

   • Stefan: "He'd just returned from the woods, and a few scraps of wet leaf clung to the side of his boot."
   • Stefan's attire: "He had always dressed in the best, not merely out of vanity, but because it was the right thing to do."
   • Matt: "His blond hair was cropped short for the football season, and his skin was sunburnt from working outdoors on his grandparents' farm."
   • Damon: "He stood, almost lounging in his father's grip, every inch the aristocrat, from the elegantly plain cap on his dark head to his ermine-trimmed cloak to his soft leather shoes."
   • Katherine: "Turning, Stefan had been dazzled by eyes the color of lapis lazuli, framed with long golden lashes."

2. Nature:

   • Dawn: "The first light of dawn was streaking the night sky with pink and palest green."
   • Morning atmosphere: "The air was fresh and clear this morning; the quince tree was inhabited only by the usual jays and sparrows."
   • Crow: "Halfway through class, the girl sitting to her right passed her a note. Elena opened it and recognized Bonnie's round, childish handwriting."

3. Feelings:

   • Stefan's reflection: "Why was he dwelling on these things?"
   • Stefan's emotions: "Stefan hated his brother at that moment, hated Damon's dark beauty and grace and the sensuality that drew women to him like moths to a flame."
   • Stefan's memories: "He could not forget the past, and he didn't really wish to. Despite everything that had happened, he cherished Katherine's memory."
   • Elena's morning mood: "Elena was up even earlier than usual that morning."
   • Elena's relief: "She felt much better than she had yesterday."
   • Elena's anticipation: "She'd promised to meet Matt before school, and though she wasn't looking forward to it she was sure it was going to be all right."

Treasure Chest

Appearance:

• "She let her backpack sag to the floor in the front hall and walked slowly into the living room."
• "It was a handsome, impressive room, the only part of the house besides Elena's bedroom that belonged to the original structure."
• "Elena turned to look out of one of the ceiling-to-floor windows. The glass was so old that it was thick and wavery, and everything outside was distorted, looking slightly tipsy."
• "But when she'd spoken to Stefan today, her pulse had been racing, her knees weak. Her palms had been wet."

Feelings/Emotions:

• "By the time Elena reached her locker, the numbness was wearing off and the lump in her throat was trying to dissolve into tears."
• "She was glad for that stillness; she wanted to be alone right now."
• "Now that she finally could cry, she found that tears wouldn't come."
• "The fullness in her throat was back, but still no tears would come."
• "She was crying with anger and humiliation and frustration—and what else?"
• "She was interested in the guy because he made her feel nervous?"
• "Misery welled up in Elena again, and she glanced around the kitchen."

Nature|Weather:

• "The moon had not yet risen, and she could just make out the old graveyard and Wickery Bridge beyond it."
• "A gust of cold wind blew through the cemetery, fanning the girls' hair out and sending dry leaves fluttering on the ground."
• "The wind was rising. Each gust sent whispers through the grass and made the ancient oak trees rattle their dangling leaves."

Grammar

Reported Speech

1. "Biggest crow I've ever seen," Matt had said.
2. "Elena!" And that was Margaret, her voice had said shrill and piping. "Are you home?"
3. "Elena," the voice had said again.

Modal Verbs

1. But she wouldn't cry at school.
2. Aunt Judith wouldn't be able to cope.
3. She didn't want company, and yet she was achingly lonely.

Passive Voice

1. That first house had been built before 1861.
2. All that could be saved was this room.
3. Elena's father's greatgrandfather had built a new house.

• Elena, who had gone to bed with a throbbing headache, was lifted her face to the clean blue sky and breathed deeply.
• It was rumored, a long-distance call to Rome—or was it Washington?

Relative Clauses

1. The house that belonged to the original structure.
2. The glass that was so old.
3. The voice that had decided her yesterday.

Conditionals

1. If she finally could cry, she found that tears wouldn't come.
2. If nowhere else, she belonged with the friends who cared about her.
3. If you feel like spending the night out here.
4. If he had to relive that horror, that… abomination, he would go mad.

Past Perfect

1. By the time Elena had reached her locker, the numbness was wearing off.
2. For the second day in a row, she had been coming home from school right after the last bell.
3. She had been younger than Margaret was now.

• Stefan had always dressed in the best, not merely out of vanity, but because it was the right thing to do.
• He had never seen his father so angry…
• Stefan had been dazzled by eyes the color of lapis lazuli, framed with long golden lashes.
• Stefan had been startled as the new voice behind her.
• Stefan had been mad that day, that final day, when he had looked upon his own damnation…
• Elena had woken up this morning knowing what to do. 

Treasure Chest

Appearance (Description of appearance):

Reported Speech

• "She was crying with anger and humiliation and frustration—and what else?" Elena thought.
• "She was interested in the guy because he made her feel nervous?" Elena pondered.
• "She wondered if it could turn night-dark as well," Elena mused.
• "She thought of the crow, of the cemetery, of the ruined church."
• "She remembered the crow, the way it had looked at her."

Modal Verbs

• She should have been more careful.
• She might have misunderstood Stefan's intentions.
• She could have avoided the confrontation.
• She would never let anyone see her like this.
• She must find out more about Stefan.

Passive Voice

• The cemetery was visited by Elena often after the accident.
• The ribbon was pulled out of her hair by Elena.
• The house was still and peaceful as Elena was let in.
• The diary was left open on her bed.
• The truth was hidden from her.

Relative Clauses

• The wind that blew through the cemetery.
• The feelings that welled up in Elena.
• The ribbon that she pulled out of her hair.
• The diary that she had been writing in.
• The church that had been ruined.

Conditionals

• If she had known about Stefan's true nature, she might have acted differently.
• If she had not been so curious, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
• If she had been more cautious, she might not have felt so vulnerable.
• If she had listened to her instincts, she wouldn't be in this mess.
• If Stefan had been honest, things would be different.

Past Perfect

• She had visited the cemetery many times before.
• Before she met Stefan, she had never felt this way.
• She had always been the queen of Robert E. Lee until now.
• She had seen the crow before.
• She had felt this unease earlier.

Gerunds and Infinitives

• Elena hated feeling so vulnerable.
• She remembered visiting the cemetery after the accident.
• Elena tried to understand her feelings towards Stefan.
• She considered confronting Stefan.
• She began writing in her diary to process her feelings.

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