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Two trauma cases are presented which were managed in a rural hospital by the same general surgeon team. The cases were two young men who were admitted to the hospital from prison in the last three years. Both of them sustained stab heart wound. They were hemodynamically unstable. The first one suffered a cardiac arrest after his arrival in the operating room. Both patients underwent an emergency left anterolateral thoracotomy according to the DSTC course principles and the current guidelines of Trauma Surgery. The first patient had a left ventricle wound and a lung laceration and the second a wound on the right ventricle. Both patients underwent definite surgical repair. They were referred hemodynamically and respiratorily stable to a cardiothoracic ICU in Athens. They were discharged with no postoperative complications a few days after the initial operation.

This study focuses on the assessment of speaking skills with reference to young learners. This is achieved by using an alternative method of assessment, namely portfolios. The general aim is to introduce learners’ to portfolio assessment of their speaking skills and to promote further learning and autonomy making, thus, learning and assessment coexist in a non-threatening mode. Three methodological tools are used for this research; a needs analysis questionnaire addressing the pupils��� needs of the fifth grade of a Greek primary school, the European Portfolio of Languages (ELP) - used in tandem with the oral portfolio Dossier - and a final evaluation questionnaire given to the pupils after the completion of the oral portfolio project. Based on the statistical analysis of pupils’ evaluation results and the teacher’s observation throughout the school year, it is evident that the oral portfolio denotes a time-consuming and laborious assessment process. Nevertheless, the pupils see it as an interesting experience and are willing to use it again in the future. In conclusion, students’ portfolios are an innovative method of assessment that can actually promote the development of speaking skills and young learners’ metacognitive strategies in the EFL classroom, and raise their interest in learning.