Graded Reader Activities

Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Ireland

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This page has information about the places in the I Talk You Talk Press graded reader Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Ireland.

oldjacksghoststoriesfromireland

1. Malahide Castle, County Dublin

Malahide Castle is around 20 minutes by car from Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is very close to the village of Malahide. The village is next to the sea, and has a beautiful harbour.

800px-Malahide_Estuary_-_Sunset_(7184153760)

(Photo: By Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland (Malahide Estuary – Sunset  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

 

Malahide Castle was built in the 12th Century. The castle offers guided tours for visitors. It also has walled botanical gardens and is surrounded by a large park. 800px-Malahide_Castle_(6202777187)

(Photo: By Miguel Mendez from Malahide, Ireland (Malahide Castle  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malahide_Castle Map: 

 

2. Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan

Glaslough is a small village in County Monaghan 3km from the border with Northern Ireland.

 

800px-CastleLeslieSummer2006

(By Lukiebaggs at English Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

Its most famous building is Castle Leslie. The castle was built in the 19th Century. The castle is a large country house, and is surrounded by 4km of parks, with lakes and forests. It is now a luxury hotel, and visitors can stay in the castle rooms, or in cottages in the grounds. It is a popular wedding venue.

For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Leslie Map:

 

3. Ballygally Castle, Ballygally, County Antrim

Ballygally Castle is in the village of Ballygally, on the Northern Irish coast. The village has a beach and a beautiful coastline. It is very popular with tourists.

Ballygally_-_geograph.org.uk_-_474677

 (Photo: Anne Burgess [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Ballygally Castle was built in the 17th Century. It is now a hotel. It is on the coast road and has nice views of the sea. On clear days, it even has views of Scotland across the sea. It is very famous for its ghosts.

Ballygally_Castle

(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballycastle,_County_Antrim

Map: 

 

4. Springhill House, Moneymore, County Londonderry

Moneymore is a small village near Lough Neagh. Lough Neagh is the largest lake in Ireland and the biggest in the British Isles. It is a very popular tourist spot, and visitors enjoy walking,  cycling, water sports, and birdwatching.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Springhill House is around a 10 minute drive from the lake. Springhill House was built in the 17th Century. It was owned by a family for 300 years, but is now owned by the National Trust. Visitors can go on guided tours of the house, and walk around the large parks and woodland. The house also has beautiful gardens.

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(Photo: Kenneth Allen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/springhill/

Map: 

 

5. Leap Castle, County Offaly

Leap Castle is in County Offaly. It is not far from the town of Roscrea. Roscrea is on the border between County Offaly and County Tipperary. It is one of the oldest towns in Ireland.

790px-Castle_Leap,_Birr,_Ireland

(Photo: By D. Brands (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0), GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Leap Castle was built in the 13th Century. It is very famous for its ghost stories. Some people say it is the most haunted castle in the world. It is now privately owned.

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_Castle

Map: 

 

6. Loftus Hall, Hook Penisnula, County Wexford

Loftus Hall is on the Hook Peninsula. The area has beautiful beaches and fishing villages. The area is famous for Hook Lighthouse, which is the oldest working lighthouse in the world. It is around 800 years old!

800px-Hook_Lighthouse_(3223279757)

(Photo: By Michal Osmenda from Brussels, Belgium (Hook Lighthouse  Uploaded by russavia) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Loftus Hall was built in the 14th Century. It was later re-built in 1870/1871. It is a large mansion house with views of the sea. For a long time, it was empty, but now it has new owners. Visitors can take guded tours of the house during the day, or at night. (Reservation required.)

LoftusHall

(Photo: By irpix.de (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loftus_Hall

Map: 

 

For more information on visiting Ireland and Northern Ireland,see http://www.discoverireland.ie/ and http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/

Don’t Come Back – Activities

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In this category, there are two quizzes for the I Talk You Talk Press graded reader Don’t Come Back.

 

dontcomeback_cover

 

1. True/False Quiz

2. Comprehension Quiz

To start the quizzes, click on the green buttons on the quiz pages. Good luck!

—————–

We hope you enjoyed reading Don’t Come Back.

Dear Ellen Activities

/ italkyoutalk

In this category, there are two quizzes for the I Talk You Talk Press graded reader Dear Ellen.

dearellen_cover

1. True/False Quiz

2. Comprehension Quiz

To start the quizzes, click on the green buttons on the quiz pages. Good luck!

—————–

We hope you enjoyed reading Dear Ellen.

Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Scotland

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This page has information about the places in Old Jack’s Ghost Stories from Scotland.

oldjacksghoststoriesfromscotland

1. Edinburgh Vaults 

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is a very popular tourist destination. In the 18th Century, the city grew, and the South Bridge and the North Bridge were built. The Edinburgh Vaults are rooms and tunnels under the South Bridge. There are many shops on the South Bridge.

In the past, shop owners and workmen used the rooms (vaults) under the bridge, but they were very dark and dangerous. So, the shops and businesses moved out of the vaults. Then,  the poor people of Edinburgh moved into them. 

Many bad things happened in the vaults, and there are lots of ghosts! Today, people can go into the vaults on a ghost tour. On the tour, you can learn about the history of the city. If you are lucky (or unlucky?) 😉 you might see or hear a ghost!

769px-Edinburgh_valuts_2

(By Kjetil Bjørnsrud (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Vaults

Map:

2. Greyfriars Kirkyard

Greyfriars Kirkyard is next to the Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk  (Kirk=Church) in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The church and the churchyard are very important places in Scotland and they have a long and interesting history. The ghost story in Old Jack’s book is one of Britain’s most famous ghost stories.

800px-Greyfriars_Kirkyard,_Edinburgh

(By Kim Traynor (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Kirkyard

Map:

3. Borthwick Castle

Borthwick Castle is 12 miles (19km) south of Edinburgh. It is one of Scotland’s biggest and most famous castles. Mary Queen of Scots visited the castle in the 16th Century. Some people have seen her ghost in the castle. Now, the castle is a hotel, and is used for weddings and events. (It is closed for repair work now. It will open again in 2014.)

Borthwick_Castle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_852315

(stephen samson [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

Map:

4. Leith Hall

Leith Hall is in Aberdeenshire in north Scotland. It is in the middle of the countryside and it has beautiful gardens. The hall has lots of old furniture, art and antiques. The gardens are open throughout the year, but the hall is only open from spring to early autumn.

Leith_Hall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1017538

(Alan Findlay [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

For more information, see the website: the National Trust for Scotland

Map:

5. Tulloch Castle

Tulloch Castle is in the Scottish Highlands. It was built in the 12th Century as a family home, but now it is a luxury hotel. The countryside around the castle is wonderful.

Tulloch_Castle

(David Maclennan [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulloch_castle

Map:

6. Blythswood Square

Blythswood Square is in the centre of Glasgow. It is near the West End which is popular with tourists. The townhouses around the square were built in 18th and 19th centuries for rich merchants. Today, most of the houses are offices, but there is also a luxury spa hotel.

Blythswood_Square_-_geograph.org.uk_-_672637

(Thomas Nugent [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons)

More information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blythswood_Square

Map:

For more information about visiting Scotland see here. → http://www.visitscotland.com/