TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER In this project you will: follow an American teenager as she moves to London and goes to a new school; learn more about London and the United Kingdom; learn about the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper who terrorized the streets of Victorian London; investigate the mysterious case of a new Jack the Ripper and write your own ending to this story; take part in a special crime talk show.
CONTENTS 1
Introducing The Name of the Star
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2
Going to school in England
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2.1 2.2
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3
Arriving in London 3.1 3.2 3.3
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9
Culture shock London's East End: Cockney Britain or the UK?
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Jack the Ripper returns
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4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4
London in the Victorian Age A new Jack the Ripper Who was Jack the Ripper? Rippermania!
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Mysterious letters
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6
Getting involved
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6.1 6.2
7
An eye witness The plot thickens
The London Tube 7.1 7.2 7.3
2
Wexford College Over to you
Playing detective Using the Tube The secret station
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29 29 30 31
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Seeing ghosts
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9
Final confrontation
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10 Crime talk show
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11 Author profile
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12 Be creative
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13 Help track
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14 Sources
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TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
1 ⁄ INTRODUCING THE NAME OF THE STAR
The Name of the Star is a novel written by the American writer Maureen Johnson. It was published in 2011 and is the first part of a series of books called Shades of London. Take a trip to the London of Rory Deveaux and uncover the secrets of London and the truth behind the mysterious return of Jack the Ripper …
Louisiana teenager Ro ry Deveaux flies to Lond on for the start of a new life at boarding school. But her arrival is overshadow ed by a sudden outbreak of brutal murders, gruesome cri mes mimicking the horrific work of Jack the Ripper. ‘Rippermania’ grabs ho ld of London, and the police are stumped with few leads and no witnesses . Except one. Rory has seen the ir prime suspect on the school grounds. But her frien d Jazza didn’t see anyo ne . So why could only Rory see him? And what is he planning to do next?
ISBN 978 000739863
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9 780007 398638
his is the blurb of The Name T of the Star. A blurb is a short summary at the back of a book or DVD-case. It can also include a quote from the work, the author, a reviewer etc.
1 Nowadays books often have trailers. Watch the book trailer for The Name of the Star. Do you recognize the elements from the blurb?
TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
listening
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2 Use the clues to fill in the crossword. The words you need are in the blurb of the book. Across 1 something that causes horror 4 it is too difficult for them to answer 5 synonym of gruesome 7 most important 8 copy 9 piece of information that can help solve the crime 10 a person who sees a crime happen 11 a sudden start or beginning of something 1
Down 2 made less enjoyable because of fear, worry ... 3 a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year 6 a person who the police think committed the crime
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4
5 6 7
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3 What is your favourite film or book? Write a blurb for it as in the example. Include a short summary and a teaser for the reader or spectator. Share your blurb with the class.
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TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
WRITING
Blurb checklist
Yes, I did. I think so. No, I didn’t. ✓ ? ✗
I wrote a very short summary of the book or film (about 25 words). I included some information about the main character(s). I made sure I didn’t spoil the story (teaser only)! I checked my language, spelling and punctuation.
2 ⁄ GOING TO SCHOOL IN ENGLAND 2.1 ⁄ WEXFORD COLLEGE
Rory Deveaux was born in Bénouville, a small town near New Orleans, Louisiana (USA). However, her parents get a job in Bristol (UK) and decide to move there so Rory will have to go to school in England. She chooses to go to Wexford College in London’s East End.
1 What do you know about the school system in the UK? Write down a few notes and compare with a partner.
SPOKEN INTERACTION
2 In extract 1, you can read Rory's thoughts about the UK school system. Answer the questions.
READING
a What tests do students take when they are 16? Look up what it stands for. b How many do students take? c What can students do when they are 17 and 18? d What are A-levels? How long do students study for them? e What do all the students at Wexford have besides their school subjects?
TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
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EXTRACT 1 As you probably know, our system here is different from the one you have at home. Here, the students take tests called GCSEs when they are about sixteen …’ I did know this. There was no way I could have prepared to come here without knowing this. The GCSEs are individual tests on pretty much every subject you’ve ever studied, ever. People take between eight and fourteen of these things, depending, I guess, on how much they like taking tests. How you do on your GCSEs determines how you’re going to spend your next two years, because when you’re seventeen and eighteen, you get to specialize. Wexford was a strange and rare thing: a boarding ‘sixth-form college’ – college here meaning ‘school for seventeenand eighteen-year-olds.’ It was for people who couldn’t afford five years in a fancy private school, or hated the school they were in and wanted to live in London. People only attended Wexford for two years, so instead of moving in with a bunch of people who had known each other forever, at Wexford, my new fellow students would have been together for a year at most. ‘Here, at Wexford,’ she [Claudia, one of the teachers at Wexford] went on, ‘students take four or five subjects each year. They are studying for their A-level exams, which they take at the end of their final year. You are welcome to sit for the A-levels if you like, but since you do not require them, we can set up a separate system of grading to send back to America. I see you’ll be taking five subjects – English literature, history, French, art history, and further maths. Here is your schedule.’ She passed me a piece of paper with a huge grid on it. The schedule itself didn’t have that day-in, day-out sameness I was used to. Instead, I got this bananas spreadsheet that spanned two weeks, full of double periods and free periods. I stared at this mess and gave up any hope of ever memorizing it. ‘Now,’ Claudia said, ‘breakfast is at seven each morning. Classes begin at eight fifteen, with a lunch break at eleven thirty. At two forty-five you change for sport – that’s from three to four. Then you shower and have class again from four fifteen until five fifteen. Dinner is from six to seven. Then the evening are for clubs, or more sport or work. Of course, we still need to put you into your sport. May I recommend hockey? I am in charge of the girls’ hockey team. I think you’d enjoy it.’
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TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
2.2 ⁄ OVER TO YOU 1 Rory has decided to take 5 subjects at Wexford: English literature, history, French, art history, and maths. If you could choose to specialize in only 5 of your current subjects, which ones would you take? Why?
WRITING
a I would take: - because - because - because -
because
-
because
-
because
-
because
-
because
b I would definitely quit taking:
2 Just like Rory, you also have to take a sport besides your 5 subjects. What sport would you take? My sport: 3 You also need to join a social club at least once a week. What would it be? My social club:
TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
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WRITING
4 Fill in your Wexford College timetable.
My Wexford Schedule Time
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
7:00
8:15
11:30
12:30
2:45
change for sport
change for sport
change for sport
change for sport
change for sport
3:00
4:00
shower
shower
shower
shower
shower
4:15
5:15
end of school day
end of school day
end of school day
end of school day
end of school day
6:00
7:00
R b
7:30
9:30
5 Now compare your timetable with a partner. Do you have a lot of similar subjects?
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TRACKING: LONDON & JACK THE RIPPER
SPOKEN INTERACTION