Category: English Stories season 2

Season 2, episode 5

I am a rather busy person. Many of my activities are related to daily necessities or work, but I also get out and explore. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what do I do?”

This story is in the first person and the present tense. Important vocabulary in the story includes: create, make, imagine, explore, photos, and exercise.

What Do I Do?

What do I do? I do a lot. I have a lot of activities in my life. I do normal activities. For example, I sleep at night. During the day, I prepare and eat food. I clean the house and wash dishes. I spend time with my sons and with friends. Some of my activities are very common for everyone, but others are more specific to me.

I talk. I talk a lot. I am very social and I talk with everyone. I talk to my kids. I talk to my sisters. I talk to my mom. I talk to my friends. I talk to people in the store. I talk to others in person and on the phone. When I can’t talk, I communicate through text messages or emails. But I prefer to talk out loud.

I create. I am creative and I create a lot of things. I create art with my sons through drawing and painting. I am not an artist, but I draw very basic objects. I create other creative things with my sons too. I build houses and cars with Lego. I build big, intricate houses. I build small cars and big trucks. My sons and I play with the things we build. It is easy to be creative with Lego.

I like to make things. I like to create. I make scarves and hats with my knitting needles. I am an active person and I am happiest when I am creating things with my hands. I knit while I am in meetings. I knit while I watch TV. I knit while listening to an audiobook. Then, I give my creations to family and friends. They are excellent presents for Christmas.

I create stories. First, I imagine my story. I think a lot about the story. I imagine the different elements, where it occurs, who is in it, what the problem is. I imagine all the drama. It is like a movie in my head. Then I write. I write my stories. I have a small book and I write my ideas in the book. Then I refine my stories. If it is a good story, I tell the story to one of my classes or on my podcast. If it is a good story, I edit the story and write a whole novel, then I publish it.

In addition to creating stories, I read a lot of stories. I like to read. I mainly read fiction. I like mysteries and fantasy, but my favorite genre of literature is historical fiction. I don’t read romance or science fiction. I read at home and in school. I’m part of a book club with my students at school. Generally I read books, but I also read news and teaching articles.

I explore. I spend a lot of time in the mountains. I explore the mountains in the car with my family. I go to rivers and lakes. I play in the river and lake water with my kids. I explore hiking trails with my friends. I have a group of adventurous friends. I explore canyons with them. I explore mountain peaks with them. I don’t run or ride a bike when I explore, I just walk. I walk and think about the beautiful nature around me. In the winter, it is harder to explore the mountains. So I ski to explore the mountains. I do nordic skiing and downhill skiing. I also explore other places in the winter. For example, I explore the desert because it isn’t so hot.

I camp with my family and friends when I explore nature. I like to camp. When I camp, I sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent. I see the bright stars in the sky. I watch animals. I think about the beautiful world.

I take photos of all the things I observe in nature. I take photos of mountains. I take photos of animals. I take photos of lakes. I take photos of waterfalls. I take photos of flowers and plants. I also take photos of my family. I take a lot of photos of my kids. Sometimes I take photos with my camera, but I take most photos on my phone.

I exercise. I don’t like exercise much, but I understand that it is important. To exercise I walk and lift weights. Sometimes I run, but I typically walk. I like to walk and talk with friends. If I’m walking alone, I listen to a podcast or an audiobook. When I walk in the house on a treadmill, I watch TV. In addition to walking, I do yoga. I do yoga to center myself. When I do yoga I relax and am happy. Two to three times a week, I lift weights for exercise. It is very important for women to lift weights. I don’t have big muscles, but I feel strong.

I listen to music. I listen to music when I exercise and when I clean the house. I listen to music when I play with my sons. I listen to music when I work in school. I like music. I dance to music. I usually dance alone, but sometimes my sons dance with me. In addition to listening to music, I can make music. I make music by singing. I sing with the music. I sing with music in the car and I sing in the shower when I wash my hair. I also make music by playing the piano. I don’t play the piano very well, I need to practice.

Not all of the activities in my life are fun. The majority of my life is work. I work a lot. I’m a teacher. I work in a high school and a community college. I teach Spanish in my classes. I teach vocabulary and culture. I teach with stories and conversations. I plan fun activities for my students. Sometimes I prepare special foods for my students. I write tests for my students. I read and grade my students’ work.

In addition to being a teacher, I am also a translator. I translate documents from English to Spanish for Hispanic parents in my community. In my translating work, I spend a lot of time on the computer. I type documents for my students and the community.

My life is very busy with all my activities. I am very active, but sometimes I don’t want to be active. Sometimes I don’t want to do anything. It is a secret, but sometimes I just watch TV and eat ice cream – for my mental health.

I do a lot in my life. I do several activities every day. What are your activities? What do you do?

The End.

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I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

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Season 2, episode 3

We all have different likes and dislikes. Continuing with this season of personal stories, this episode explores the question: “what do I like?”

What do I like?

What do I like? Well, there are a lot of things that I like. First, I like Spanish. I like speaking two languages. I want to learn more languages. I like Spanish because I like to talk to people. With Spanish and English, I can talk to millions of people all over the world. I also like Spanish because of the cultures. I like learning about culture. There are a lot of distinct cultures in the Spanish-speaking world.

I like spending time with my sons. I like watching movies with them. I like building houses and trucks with Lego with them. I like drawing and painting with my sons. I like looking at their builds on Minecraft. I like cooking with them. I like playing video games with them. I especially like my kids’ hugs and kisses.

I like to read. I read in English and Spanish. I like reading novels and series. I prefer historical fiction, but not romances. I also like reading classical books like Dracula and Pride and Prejudice. I like reading to my sons. I like reading Harry Potter and Matilda.

I like spending time in nature. I like camping with my family and my friends. I like driving my Jeep on complicated roads. I like hiking in the woods. I like looking at mountains. I like listening to water in rivers and seeing waterfalls. I like just sitting next to an alpine lake. I like the different perspective of the world when I am in nature. I like exercising in nature. I walk for hours and hours in the mountains. I like climbing mountains. In the winter, I like skiing. I nordic ski – it is good exercise. I ski for hours and hours.

I like the color green. Green is my favorite color. It is a vibrant, happy color. Green is the color of nature and I love nature.

I like to eat. I especially like chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate. I don’t like eating milk chocolate because it is very sweet. But I like drinking hot chocolate. I drink hot chocolate in the morning and sometimes at night. I typically put extra dark chocolate in my hot chocolate.

I like tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite food. I can eat tomatoes for days. I like eating tomatoes with mozzarella cheese, basil, a little salt, and oil. I like eating tomatoes in a Mexican salsa with jalapeño, avocado, onion, and cilantro. I like eating tomatoes with eggs for breakfast, or tomatoes with lettuce in a salad for lunch, or simply tomatoes with spaghetti for dinner. I like eating tomatoes on pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza? I like veggie pizza. I like pizza with cheese, onion, artichokes, red pepper, and broccoli. Broccoli is excellent on pizza. I also like pineapple on pizza.

I like food from other cultures. I love Mexican food, Chinese food, and Thai food. I always eat traditional food when I travel like ceviche or alpaca fillet in Peru. So yummy!

I like to travel. I like visiting states and different countries. I like talking with local people and learning about their lives. I like seeing old architecture. I like eating exotic fruits that I don’t have where I live. I like walking in historic places. I like getting a stamp in my passport!

I like earrings. When I travel, I buy earrings. When I wear earrings, I think about my travels. I like big earrings. I like bright earrings. I prefer handmade earrings.

I like taking photos. I always take photos of my adventures. I like taking photos with my big camera. I like looking at photos and thinking about my trips and adventures. I collect the photos and prepare books of the photos. I don’t want to forget my experiences. I like looking at old photo albums.

I like being a teacher. I like teaching. I like creating a fun class. I like connecting with my students. I like including their ideas in my stories. I like exploring cultures with my students. I like seeing the expression of understanding on my students’ faces. I like learning about my students’ experiences.

I like learning. I like history and I love learning interesting things about history. I like learning about teaching methods. I like learning from expert teachers. I want to be an excellent teacher, so I need to keep learning.

I like telling stories. I like acting and when I tell stories I can act out the stories. I like using expression when I talk. I am very dramatic in my stories. I like captivating an audience’s attention.

I like singing. I sing a lot. I like singing for my students. I like singing at home. I like singing for my kids, but my sons don’t like it when I sing! They always say, “Mom, don’t sing anymore!” I ignore them and I keep singing because I like to sing.

I like watching TV. I like movies, but I prefer television series. I love telenovelas, or Spanish soap operas. Funny telenovelas are my favorite. There are not many funny telenovelas. The majority of telenovelas are super dramatic. I like telenovelas because I can practice my Spanish and because I like fake drama. I don’t like real drama in my personal life.

There are other things that I don’t like. I don’t like bananas. I don’t like their flavor or texture. I don’t like cake. I like cookies and brownies, but I don’t like cake. I don’t like pickles. I like vinegar and I like cucumbers, but I don’t like pickles. I don’t like running. I can run. I run sometimes, but I don’t like it. I don’t really like science fiction books. I don’t like washing dishes or cleaning the house. I don’t like cooking. I cook for my family, but I don’t like the mess it makes or the time it takes. I don’t like being on the computer for hours. I prefer interactions in person. I don’t like going shopping. I have to go to the supermarket, but I don’t like it.

I like a lot in this world. There are also things I don’t like. What do you like? What don’t you like?

The End.

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I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 2, episode 2

This second episode of season 2 presents multiple descriptive adjectives that both do and don’t describe my physical characteristics and personal qualities to answer the question: “what am I like?” So you can better talk about what you are like.

What Am I Like?

What am I like? Well, physically I am pretty normal. I am of average height, I am not tall or short. I am skinny. I am not super thin and I am not fat. I have green eyes. I always wear glasses because my eyes are not perfect. My hair is brown and wavy or curly. My face is round like a circle. I think I am pretty.

But I am much more than my physical appearance. I have a big personality. A lot of people say I am energetic. I always have a lot of energy. My energy is obvious when I talk or teach. I can’t be in one position for a long time. I need to move. That’s why, when I talk, I move my hands a lot. Since I have a lot of energy, it is no surprise that I am also very active. I like being outside in nature and I can walk in the mountains for hours and hours. Sometimes I ride my bike with my son.

I am energetic and active, but I am not athletic. I don’t like participating in sports like soccer or volleyball. I don’t have much coordination. I am clumsy and I have a lot of accidents in sports.

In addition to being energetic and active, I also have moments when I am lazy. In these moments, I can spend hours with a book or watching television. When I watch TV, I am lazy.

I am social and outgoing. I am not shy. I like to talk. I talk with everyone. Sometimes my sons get mad because I talk and talk and talk and they want to go home, but I keep talking. I have wonderful friends and I talk with them a lot. I also talk to people I don’t know. I am friendly and I smile a lot. I like to talk with new people.

I am patient with other people, but I am impatient with myself. When my sons or students need help. I am patient. I repeat myself a lot, without problems. When I am with other people, I am patient. I can listen to their stories or help without frustration. But, when I am alone, I am impatient. When I am in the supermarket and I want to go home, I am impatient. When I am in traffic, I am really impatient. When I need to prepare materials for class or use the copier, I am impatient. I think I am patient when it is important, but I need to work on patience in the rest of my life.

I am fun. I like going out with friends and doing fun activities like singing karaoke or floating the river. I am a fun teacher. In class we do fun activities like finger painting and acting out stories. I am a fun mom. At home I play with Lego with my sons and I read books in a funny way. I am also fun because I am funny. I tell jokes at home and in class. My jokes are typically terrible, but they are also funny!

I am smart. I study a lot and I have a lot of information in my head. I also like reading. When I read I learn more, so with every book I am more intelligent. In addition to the information that I have, I am smart because I recognize that it isn’t possible to be an expert on everything. I don’t have all the answers to the problems of the world and I need to study and listen to experts and learn from them.

I am hardworking. I have a lot of personal and professional projects. I work practically all the time. Personally, I work on my house, I work in the yard, I work on projects and activities for my sons. It is a lot of work to maintain the house. It is also a lot of work being a single mom. Professionally, I work on my books, I work on my podcast, I work to help other teachers in school and I work to teach Spanish to my students at the high school and at the college.

I am creative. I think that I plan creative and different activities and classes. I can create stories in the moment with only a few ideas from my students. I can look at an activity and think of multiple ways to present the activity to have maximum participation from my students. In my house, I am creative with Lego. I can look at a picture and create a house or car without instructions. I make art with my sons. I am not artistic, but I am creative with my combination of colors and forms.

I am strong. I don’t have big muscles, but I am physically and mentally strong. I can do construction projects in the house and yard. I can hike for days in the mountains with all my needs in a pack on my back. I can plan multiple classes for all abilities. I can ignore my problems when it is more important to focus on other’s problems. I can find solutions to my problems and offer solutions to other peoples’ problems. I can do complicated or difficult things with little frustration or anxiety.

I have a lot of qualities that I think are good. But I also have some characteristics that I don’t like. I work a lot to change my bad characteristics. For example, I am very direct. Sometimes it is good to be direct, but sometimes when I am direct people think I am mean or rude. They think my comment is an insult. So, I need to work on being kinder with my direct words and I also need to work on thinking first and speaking later.

Another characteristic that I don’t like is that I am controlling. I like being the leader in everything. I like having control on decisions. It is very difficult for me to give control to another person. I need to work on listening more to other’s ideas and I need to pass control to other leaders in the group sometimes.

We all have physical and personal attributes that we like and that we don’t like. What are you like? What are your physical characteristics? What is your personality like?

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.

Season 2, episode 1

Hello and welcome to season 2 of Simple Stories in English. In this season, I will be telling you more about myself to help you be able to talk about yourself. In this first episode I will answer the question: Who am I?

Who Am I?

Hello, my name is Camilla Given and I am a Spanish teacher in a small town. I am a woman. I am 42 years old. I don’t think I’m old, but I don’t think I’m young either. My birthday is March 22.

I live in the state of Colorado in the United States. I live in Colorado, but I am not from Colorado. I’m from the state of Minnesota. My parents and some siblings live in Minnesota. I like to visit Minnesota, but I prefer living in Colorado. I have a lot of friends in Colorado and I like the mountains here.

I live in a small town in western Colorado. I like living in a small town. I don’t like living in a big city. I like visiting cities, but I don’t want to live in a city. I prefer small towns because they are quiet. I also prefer small towns because I know a lot of people. When I go to a restaurant, store, or the post office, I see friends or past students.

I am a high school teacher and college professor in a small town. There are around 500 students total in the high school, so it is not a super small school, but it is not a big school. I like being a teacher in a small school. I don’t like big schools because it is difficult to have good relationships with all the students and other teachers. I prefer small schools because I recognize practically all the students. I also have the opportunity to teach my students for more than one year. I have had some students for 4 years! My students call me “Profe”.

I have taught Spanish for 22 years. In that time I have taught Spanish 1, 2, 3, and 4, Spanish for Spanish speakers, and college classes of conversation, grammar, and composition. In addition to Spanish, I have taught theater, physical education, and newcomer English.

I originally wanted to be a math teacher. I like math. But when I had the opportunity to teach math, I didn’t like it. Math was easy for me and I didn’t know how to teach it. So I decided to teach something that I had to learn, something that wasn’t easy for me. I decided to teach Spanish.

I am a Spanish teacher, but I am also a Spanish student. I am not a native speaker of Spanish. I began to study the Spanish language in school when I was 14. I studied for 4 years in high school and for 4 years in college. During college, I spent a semester in Spain at the University of Pamplona. In my education, I learned from teachers and professors from the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, and Paraguay. I have degrees in Spanish Education and Theater Arts from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and I have my Masters in Spanish Education from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

I keep studying Spanish. I read in Spanish. I watch programs like movies and Spanish soap operas in Spanish. I listen to podcasts in Spanish. I practice Spanish with friends. I listen to Latin music. I like Spanish a lot. I like the language and I like the culture. Spanish is a part of who I am.

In addition to being a teacher and student, I am an author. I like to write stories. I write stories for my classes and for my podcasts. I think that it is good to learn a language with stories. I publish my stories on my blog and on Amazon. I have six books in Spanish, five in English, three in German and one in French.

My first published book is called La tutora de español, or The Spanish Tutor. It is a little advanced. I have a series of more basic books called I am Jake, Jake celebrates, Jake explores, and Jake travels. For the Jake books I am an author and illustrator. My illustrations are very basic because I am not an artist. I do not have a talent for drawing.

Sometimes I am an actress. I like acting a lot. My university degree is for Spanish Education and Theater Arts. I took a lot of theater classes in college. I especially like improvisation. I use my acting abilities in my class and in recording my stories. I am very animated and expressive and I act out my stories.

I am a singer. I love singing. I sing a lot of songs. In the past, I sang in drama productions. Now, I mainly sing in church on Sundays. But sometimes I go to karaoke and sing with my friends. I sing with the radio in the car. I sing to my sons, although they don’t like it. I sing in the shower when I wash my hair. I sing when I walk in the mountains.

I am religious. I like singing to God in church on Sundays. I believe in God and I know that he loves me. I read the Bible. I think about God a lot when I am with my family and when I am in nature.

I am an explorer. I like exploring nature. Being outside is very important to me. I walk a lot in the mountains. I walk for miles and miles to see alpine lakes, waterfalls, flowers, and animals. In addition to walking, I ski. I cross-country ski because I like the exercise of nordic skiing. Sometimes exploring is difficult. Some roads are very long and complicated. In the summer there are mosquitos and it is hot. In the winter it is very cold when I ski. I prefer being where there are not many people because I like the tranquility. I use my time in nature to relax, reflect, and disconnect from the stress of the world. I like exploring with friends, but I also like to explore alone.

I am a traveller. I like to visit other states and other countries. When it is not possible to travel, I watch travel programs on TV. I like to travel because I like to learn about other cultures and I believe that it is important to get to know the world.

I am a sister and friend. I have incredible sisters and friends and I want to be a good friend to them. I want to support them. I celebrate their successes, or good moments. I listen to their problems. When they need or want help, I help. When they need love, I hug them. When they need company, I visit them. When they need an adventure, I explore with them.

Of all my roles, my most important role is mother. I have two sons that I adore. My older son is 13. He and I talk for hours and play a lot with Lego. We build vehicles and houses. We make replicas of famous places. My younger son is 10. He and I are very similar. He is dramatic like me and he likes writing stories. He is famous on my podcast for saying “the end” at the end of each episode.

I want to be a good mom for my kids. I prepare their food, although I am not a chef – I don’t like cooking. I help them with their school work. I listen to their trombone practice. I read to them. I give them a lot of hugs and kisses.

I love my life and I love who I am.

The End.

You can also watch a video of this story on YouTube!

I really enjoy creating and sharing simple, comprehensible stories. I work hard to provide tools and supports for those who want to learn. Please, consider buying me a taco to support my work!

You can download a printer-friendly PDF of this story.