Literacy+links

Literacy links
 As part of the "tuning in" for the students, they will be read to regularly from a range of texts that show travel through 'portals' of different types. The list suggested below is not exhaustive.

Chapter 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole[[image:alice_in_wonderland.jpg width="244" height="244" align="right"]]
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversations" So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid) whether the pleasure of making a daisy chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. There was nothing so very unremarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so //very// much out of the way to hear the rabbit say to itself. "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural): but when the Rabbit actually //took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket,// and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket or a watch to take out of it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit hole under the hedge. In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again...

Picture: http://ghostradio.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/alice-wonderland-08.jpg

Chapter 1: Lucy looks into a wardrobe
...Looking inside the wardrobe she saw several coats hanging up - mostly long fur coats. There was nothing Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She immediately steppped into the wardrobe and got in among the coats and rubbed her face against them, leaving the door open of course, because she knew it was foolish to shut oneself into any wardrobe. Soon she went further in and found that there was a second row of coats hanging up behind the first one. It was quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe. She took a step further in - then two or three steps - always expecting to feel woodwork against the tips of her fingers. But she could not feel it. "This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!" thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed something crunching under her feet "I wonder is that more mothballs?" she thought, stooping down to feel it with her hand. But instead of feeling the hard smooth wood of the wardrobe, she flt something soft and powdery and extremely cold. "This is very queer", she said and went on a step or two further. Next moment she found what was rubbing against her hands and face was no longer soft fur but something hard and rough and even prickly. "Why, it is just like the branches of trees!" exclaimed Lucy . And then she saw that there was a light ahead of her; not a few inches away where rthe back of the wardrobe ought to have been but a long way off. Something cold and soft was falling on her. A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night time with snow under her feet and snowflakes falling through the air...

Picture: http://www.narniafans.com/fansection/fanart/jonathanbarry.php

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
This is a great Disney video. The song "It's a jolly holiday with Mary" shows Mary, Bert and the children jumping through a chalk picture, their portal to a cartoon world. Pictrue: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rOqL_PwNKkU/SaBlDOLLWFI/AAAAAAAAAgc /4Ol074Nh6Qc/s400/Mary+Poppins+and+Bert.jpg

Chapter 6 "The Portkey"
...'Some [wizards] Apparate, of course, but we have to set up safe points for them to appear, well away from Muggles. I believe there's a handy wood they're using as the Appirition point. For those who don't want to Apparate, or can't, we use Portkeys.They're objects that are used to transport wizards from one spot to another at a pre-arranged time.You can do large groups at a time if you need to. There have been two hundred Portkeys placed at strategic pointsaround Britain and the nearest one to us is up the top of Stoatshead Hill so that's where we're headed.' Mr Weasley pointed ahead of them, where a large black mass rose beyond the village of Ottery St Catchpole. 'What sort of objects are Potkeys?' said Harry curiously. 'Well, they can be anything,' said Mr Weasley.'Unobtrusive things, obviously, so Muggles don't go picking them up and playing with them...stuff they'l just think is litter...' ...'Whew' panted Mr Weasley, taking off his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. 'Well, we've made good time - we've got ten minutes..' Hermione came over the crest of the hill last, clutching a stitch in her side. 'Now we just need the Portkey', said Mr Weasley, replacing his glasses and squinting around at the ground. 'It won't be big... come on...' They spread out searching. They had only been at it for a couple of minutes, however, when a shout rent the still air. 'Come over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!' Two tall figures were silhouetted against the starry sky on the other side of the hilltop. 'Amos!' said Mr Weasley, smiling as he strode over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed... ...'You just need to touch the Portkey, that's all, a finger will do -' With difficulty owing to the bulky back packs, the nine of them crowded around the old boot held out by Amos Diggery. They all stood there, in a tight circle, as a chill breeze swept over the hilltop. Nobody spoke. It suddenly ocurred to Harry how odd this woul look if a Muggel were to walk up here now...nine people, two grown men, clutching at this manky old boot in the semi-darkness waiting...'Three...' muttered Mr weasley, one eye on his watch, 'two...one...' It happened immediately: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his naval has been jerked irresistably forwards. His feet had left the ground; he could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him, their shoulders banging into his; they were all speeding forwards in a howl of wind and swirling colour; his forefinger was stuck to the boot as though it was pulling him magnetically inwards and then - His feet slammed into the ground; Ron staggered into him and he fell over; the Portkey hit the ground near his head with a heavy thud. Harry looked up. Mr Weasley, Mr Diggory and Cedric were still standing, though looking very windswept; everybody else was standing on the ground.

Picture: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/images/chapters/gf/c06--the-portkey.jpg


 * Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Vern

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 * Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer**

Root was waiting for the dwarf inside the time-field portal. The portal was yet another of Foaly's inventions. Fairies could be introduced to and leave the time-field without affecting the altered flow inside the field. This effectively meant that even though it toll nearly siz hours to get Mulch to the surface, he was injected into the field only moments after Root had the notion to send for him. It was Mulch's first time in a field. He stood watching life proceed at an exaggerated rate outside the shimmering corona. Cars zipped by at impossible speeds, and clouds tumbled across the skyline as though driven by force-ten gales. Picture: []

Book by Neil Gaiman Film directed by Henry Selick
 * Coraline**

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Source: page 3, 24 July 2009, The Age, All About Books Supplement
 * Article from The Age about portals in literature.**