Flipping Fantastic

Synopsis 

“Flipping Fantastic‟ by Jane Langford is a story about twin brothers and their mother. Tristan is an outstanding, brilliant and a capable boy but James is shy, nervous and lacks confidence. Both of them are about to finish their primary education at Peter Hill Primary soon and plan to begin their new school term in two different schools. Their mother decides to enroll James in Highfields and Tristan who is physically challenged and wheelchair bound, in a special school (Chesterlea Grange). Both brothers are confused over the thought of being separated as they have never been apart from each other. Since they rely on each other, the twins are concerned about how they are going to cope in their new school environment. The mother wants the twins to be independent. She is confident that Tristan would be able to cope well at Chesterlea Grange. However, she worries about James and wonders how he is going to manage all alone at Highfields. Tristan changes his mind about Chesterlea Grange, in order to be with James. Besides that, the school is far away from home and he would only be able to see James once a week. On the other hand, James manages to persuade him by reminding him of all the facilities and activities in his new school that Tristan dreamt of. Knowing James cannot cope himself alone, Tristan calls on their friend Kiara Jones to help James in Highfields.  The twins at last realise that they have made the right decision and their new school environment is flipping fantastic

Summary of Flipping FantasticThis story is about twin brothers, Tristan and James, who are about to be separated and sent to different schools when they leave primary school for secondary school. They have mixed feelings about going to their new schools and are anxious about this. Besides being worried about their separation, they are also concerned about whether they can adapt to their new schools, especially without each other's help. Their mother, who loves them both dearly and cares about them, is equally anxious.

The climax occurs the day after the school play. Tristan and James react very differently to the school play. They both realise how much they depend on each other and how difficult it would be to adapt to their new schools on their own. Tristan is not sure whether to go with James to Highfields or to go to Chesterlea Grange on his own.

After some thought and discussion, Tristan, who is disabled, finally decides to go to a special school, that is, Chesterlea Grange, while James goes to Highfields. In the end, the twins find that their worries are unnecessary as they both adapt to and enjoy their new schools. The twins realise they have made the right decision and are both very happy in their new schools. Tristan describes his new school as fantastic...hence the title, Flipping Fantastic. Tristan will be going to a special school

1.   with his mother2.   together with James3.   because of his mother's request4.   which helps children become able

Tristan and James 1.   twin brothers2.   schoolmates3.   dislike Karia Jones4.   cousins

Both the brothers are feeling1.   nervous to act in the year-end school play2.   sad to leave their primary school3.   happy to enter highschool4.   sad to leave Jessica Parker

The only problem with Tristan's new school1.   very small school2.   is that it is a residential school3.   has huge paddock and horses4.   has computer facilities

Each brother thinks that the other brother1.   is excited about living the primary school2.   happy to enter highschool3.   is not worry about going to a new secondary school alone4.   is much clever than he is

What does the expression,'live-wire' means with regards to Tristan?1.   Noisy and serious2.   Nervous and calm

3.   Quiet and Depressed4.   Friendly and talkative

Tristan and James are depressed because they1.   had quarreled2.   could not be in the same play3.   they could not go to a summer camp4.   had to go to a different secondary school

Why do the twins have to go to different schools?1.   They are competitive2.   They have different needs3.   They asked to go to different schools4.   They do not like to be in the same school

The word,'lottery' probably refers to them being lucky to have found1.   places i n their own school2.   two different day schools3.   suitable secondary schools4.   inappropriate secondary schools

What do you think is the approximate age of the two main characters?1.   about 12 years old going on to 132.   about 2 years old going on to 33.   about 6 years old going on to 74.   about 18 years old going on to 19

SILANGKATA

Down: 1: Tristan's new school

Down: 2: James new schoolAcross: 3: shy and nervous one Down: 3: the writer of the short story,"Flipping Fantastic

Across: 5: more confident and outstanding twinDown: 6: born togetherAcross: 7: opposite of independent

Exercise 1 – “Flipping Fantastic”

Rearrange the following sentences from number 1 to 10 according to the

sequence of events in the story.

NUMBER STATEMENT THE CORRECT

SEQUENCE

a. Tristan tells James that he will be going to the same

school next term at Highfields.

b. Tristan performs well in the school play.

c. Mum informs the boys that they will be going to

different schools.

d. James stands up to read his line but stutters it a bit.

e. During his last week at Highfields, Tristan feels

really down, knowing that he will miss his friends

and teachers very much.

f. Tristan is happy that he joined Chesterlea Grange.

g. During the holidays, Mum finds out from Tristan that

he does not want to go to Chesterlea Grange.

h. On their first day in their new schools, the boys find

their new surrounding fantastic.

i. However, James realizes that it is better for Tristan

to go to Chesterlea Grange.

j. So he advises Tristan to go to Chesterlea Grange.

Exercise 2 – “Flipping Fantastic”

Choose the words above the table to match the characters in the story. You can

add more suitable adjective that describe each character.

Shy Brilliant CaringLacking in confidence Understanding Confident

JAMES TRISTAN

Exercise 3 – “Flipping Fantastic”

Answer the following questions.

1. Why do you think Tristan and James make a good team?

a. _____________________________________________________

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b. _____________________________________________________

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2. What activities is Tristan good at?

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3. What are the positive traits in Tristan despite his disability?

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4. Why was Mum worried about James?

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5. What finally convinced Tristan that he should go to Chesterlea Grange?

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6. What are the two themes of the short story?

a. _____________________________________________________

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b. _____________________________________________________

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7. James is a caring brother. What is the evidence of this?

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8. What can readers learn from this short story?

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9. Which school would you prefer to study in- Chesterlea Grange or

Highfields? Why would you choose the school?

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