sparkles #1

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Tribute to Jon Noble 1 We asked… You said... 1 This month’s buzz: Spring 2 Students’ corner: How to... 3 Teachers’ corner: The importance of CPD 4 from OALD 8th edition online Sparkle, verb 1 [intransitive] sparkle (with something) to shine brightly with small flashes of light sparkling eyes Her jewellery sparkled in the candlelight. The sky sparkled with brilliant stars. 2 [intransitive] sparkle (with something) to be full of life, enthusiasm or humour He always sparkles at parties. She sparkled with cheerfulness and good humour. Sparkle, noun 1 a series of flashes of light produced by light hitting a shiny surface the sparkle of glass the sparkles of light on water The sky went dark and the sea lost its sparkle (figurative) There was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. 2 the quality of being lively and original The performance lacked sparkle. Do something to add a sparkle to your life! How to contribute: Email us on [email protected] Join our edmodo group using the code x6x0lk. This little piece of work came to life on a bus, because of a spark which ignited and got me thinking about the role of the teacher in a modern classroom. I realised that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the constantly changing reality of the English lan- guage. Teaching and learning English is not as it used to be. Students today need in- formation fast and they get it from a variety of sources primarily the media. So it seems outdated when the teacher takes a cd-player and wants the students to ‘listen and repeat'. This newsletter could help satisfy the stu- dents’ need for novelty, but it could also facilitate the teachers’ job by providing sources for that. This endeavour by my men- tor and me is a way of offer- ing some fresh ideas and encouraging both the stu- dents and the teachers to find something useful for themselves. We’ll do our best to keep it interesting, useful and fun, but in order to do so, we need your help. So do send your contributions because we want to show how rich we are with thoughts and ideas. It was George Patton who said “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't’ thinking.” Let’s put our heads together and show that’s not the case with us. M.I. WE ASKED… YOU SAID... WHY IS IT GREAT TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? School’s like an adventure. Although it's not always good, we miss it during holidays. Maja Švaljug, 16 We’re much more mature and this is the last chance to enjoy life before we're grownups. Monika Nađander, 15 We get to spend a lot of time with friends. Božica Piršljin, 15 & Denis Prigorec, 19 WHY IS IT AWFUL TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT? My working day starts at 9 or 10 am and finishes at 10 or 11 pm. Lucija Piršljin, 17 It's very easy to be punished for something. Robert Iveković, 15 There are too many rules and grades can be a real problem. Nikolas Višnjić, 15 I simply don't like studying. Vid Međaković, 15 BEING A TEACHER There is always this one kid that is willing to pay attention and to listen to you who’s thus bound to learn something new. The feeling is exquisite. Yet, it is an awful job at the same time because the laws and regulations have made it that way removing child rearing from schools, while education is some- thing most children aren’t inter- ested in even before they start school. Emina Perčec, mag. prim. educ. Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers in Bjelovar-bilogora county Editors: Maja Ivanović, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar Irena Pavlović, prof. mentor Srednja škola Čazma email: [email protected] JON NOBLE - the man who set the spark The editors would like to thank Mr. Jon Noble for the inspiration to start this project. Mr. Noble, an adjunct lecturer at the Center for English as a Second Language at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, held a series of workshops in Zagreb in February 2013, one of which was dedicated to writing and resulted in creating this newsletter. Mr. Noble teaches English as a second language as a part of Intensive English Program. DID YOU KNOW? Daylight Saving Time or "Summer Time", is a way of making better use of the daylight during the evenings by setting the clocks forward one hour while the days are longer in summer, and back again in the autumn. The credit for coming up with DST goes to an English builder, William Willett, who presented the idea to advance the clock during the summer months in 1905. His proposal was considered, but was never made into a law. It was not until World War I, in 1916, that DST was adopted and implemented by several countries in Europe. This year we switch to DST on Sunday, 31 March at 2 a.m. M.I. MARCH 2013 ISSUE 01/13 1 st ISSUE EDITORIAL

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Page 1: Sparkles #1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Tribute to Jon Noble 1

We asked… You said... 1

This month’s buzz: Spring 2

Students’ corner: How to... 3

Teachers’ corner:

The importance of CPD

4

from OALD 8th edition online Sparkle, verb 1 [intransitive] sparkle (with something) to shine brightly with small flashes of light

sparkling eyes

Her jewellery sparkled in the candlelight.

The sky sparkled with brilliant stars.

2 [intransitive] sparkle (with something) to be full of life, enthusiasm or humour

He always sparkles at parties.

She sparkled with cheerfulness and good humour.

Sparkle, noun 1 a series of flashes of light produced by light hitting a shiny surface

the sparkle of glass

the sparkles of light on water

The sky went dark and the sea lost its sparkle

(figurative) There was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

2 the quality of being lively and original

The performance lacked sparkle.

Do something to add a sparkle to your life!

How to contribute:

Email us on

[email protected]

Join our edmodo group using

the code x6x0lk.

This little piece of work came to life on a bus, because of a spark which ignited and got me thinking about the role of the teacher in a modern classroom. I realised that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the constantly changing reality of the English lan-guage. Teaching and learning English is not as it used to be. Students today need in-formation fast and they get it from a variety of sources – primarily the media. So it seems outdated when the teacher takes a cd-player and wants the students to ‘listen and repeat'. This newsletter could help satisfy the stu-dents’ need for novelty, but it could also facilitate the

teachers’ job by providing sources for that. This endeavour by my men-tor and me is a way of offer-ing some fresh ideas and encouraging both the stu-dents and the teachers to find something useful for themselves. We’ll do our best to keep it interesting, useful and fun, but in order to do so, we need your help. So do send your contributions because we want to show how rich we are with thoughts and ideas. It was George Patton who said “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't’ thinking.” Let’s put our heads together and show that’s not the case with us. ▪

M.I.

WE ASKED… YOU SAID...

WHY IS IT GREAT TO BE A HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENT?

School’s like an adventure. Although it's not always good, we miss it during holidays.

Maja Švaljug, 16 We’re much more mature and this is the last chance to enjoy life before we're grownups. Monika Nađander, 15 We get to spend a lot of time with friends. Božica Piršljin, 15 & Denis Prigorec, 19

WHY IS IT AWFUL TO BE A HIGH

SCHOOL STUDENT?

My working day starts at 9 or 10 am and finishes at 10 or 11 pm. Lucija Piršljin, 17 It's very easy to be punished for something. Robert Iveković, 15 There are too many rules and grades can be a real problem. Nikolas Višnjić, 15 I simply don't like studying. Vid Međaković, 15

BEING A TEACHER There is always this one kid that is willing to pay attention and to listen to you who’s thus bound to learn something new. The feeling is exquisite. Yet, it is an awful job at the same time because the laws and regulations have made it that way removing child rearing from schools, while education is some-thing most children aren’t inter-ested in even before they start school. Emina Perčec, mag. prim. educ.

Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers in Bjelovar-bilogora county Editors: Maja Ivanović, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar Irena Pavlović, prof. mentor Srednja škola Čazma email: [email protected]

JON NOBLE - the man who set the spark

The editors would like to thank Mr. Jon Noble for the inspiration to start this project. Mr. Noble, an adjunct lecturer at the Center for English as a Second Language at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, held a series of workshops in Zagreb in February 2013, one of which was dedicated to writing and resulted in creating this newsletter. Mr. Noble teaches English as a second language as a part of Intensive English Program.

DID YOU KNOW? Daylight Saving Time or "Summer Time", is a way of making

better use of the daylight during the evenings by setting the clocks forward one hour while the days are longer in summer, and back again in the autumn.

The credit for coming up with DST goes to an English builder, William Willett, who presented the idea to advance the clock

during the summer months in 1905. His proposal was considered, but was never made into a law. It was not until

World War I, in 1916, that DST was adopted and implemented by several countries in Europe.

This year we switch to DST on Sunday, 31 March at 2 a.m.▪ M.I.

MA

RC

H 2

013

ISS

UE

01/1

3

1st ISSUE EDITORIAL

Page 2: Sparkles #1

Chinese elm tree bonsai

On March 21st we mark the beginning of

spring. On this date night and day last al-

most equally long because the tilt of the

Earth’s axis is not inclined either towards the

Sun or away from it, and the centre of the

Sun is aligned with the Earth’s equator. We

call this the equinox (Latin: aequus - qual,

and nox - night.)

During the spring season, we can distinguish

three different periods: pre-spring starts

when we see first spring flowers growing

(so called messengers of spring); early

spring is the period when the trees begin to

bloom and grow leaves; real spring is the

latest part when most of the deciduous trees

grow leaves. ▪ M.I.

DO IT YOURSELF: BONSAI

Bonsai is the ancient Chinese and Japanese garden art of creating and

growing miniature trees. Bonsai trees are very esteemed and special because they require a lot of TLC—it’s not that

easy to grow a majestic small tree! However, spring is the ideal time to try

out something new, and who knows - maybe you’ll discover you have a knack

for planting! These few simple steps will help you make one.

1 Select the species of tree. You have to consider your geographic location because different plants thrive in

different places. That’s why it’s important to find one that will grow in

your area. Types of tree most commonly used for bonsai are: ficus, juniper and

Chinese elm. Once you have decided which kind of bonsai you’d like, you can

choose the plant that you will use to make your bonsai tree. 2 Select a pot. Choosing the right pot

will influence the desired size and style of the plant. The pot should be large

enough to allow enough soil to cover the roots of the plant, but not too large

because it will look odd. You want to maintain the illusion of nature, so it’s

necessary to balance the size of the pot with the plant itself. Make sure the pot has drainage holes on the bottom.

3 Prepare the tree. Prune it to the desired shape. Wire any branches that

need it. Remove the plant from its existing pot and water the roots. Cut

away enough roots so that they can

“It is spring again. The earth is like a

child that knows poems by heart.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

MARCH 2013 THIS MONTH’S BUZZ

Position of the Earth towards the Sun

during the seasons.

SPRING

PAGE 2

Messengers of spring - violet, crocus,

snowdrop, primrose and lilly of the valley.

FUN FACTS:

The first day of spring was celebrated as the beginning of a new year in ancient Rome. Long before the Romans, the Celts

celebrated the first day of spring as the resurrection of the Sun. For many people spring bares the meaning of awakening,

creation and birth of something new. A good example of this is the popular Stonehenge. It was constructed in a unique way,

so that at dawn on the first day of spring the sun rises directly between the large stones thus marking the beginning of the

new season. ▪ M.I.

fit securely in the new pot with the proper amount of

soil. 4 Pot the tree. Add some well draining soil to the pot

and then place the tree into the pot. Choose the right

potting soil for your bonsai – the kind that doesn't

retain too much water to avoid drowning the tree.

Before covering the top of the roots with soil, position the tree in the desired

orientation.

Give your tree lots of love

and it will prosper! Happy

planting...▪ M.I.

O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down

Through the clear windows of the morning,

turn

Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,

Which in full choir hails thy approach, O

Spring!

The hills tell one another, and the listening

Valleys hear; all our longing eyes are turn’d

Up to thy bright pavilions: issue forth

And let thy holy feet visit our clime!

Come o’er the eastern hills, and let our winds

Kiss thy perfumèd garments; let us taste

Thy morn and evening breath; scatter thy

pearls

Upon our lovesick land that mourns for thee.

O deck her forth with thy fair fingers; pour

Thy soft kisses on her bosom; and put

Thy golden crown upon her languish’d head,

Whose modest tresses are bound up for thee. ∙

To Spring by William Blake

(from Poetical Sketches, 1783)

Page 3: Sparkles #1

What’s the matter - has the

cat got your tongue?

(informal)

meaning: why don’t you say

anything?

What have I learned at uni? Every minute counts. So spend your time wisely. And by wisely, I mean start planning your party today, 'cause you want to make sure all the

stuff you need will be there in time. And don't you dare saying you can't be bothered, because we all know at some point that evening you'll change your mind so let's not fool anyone.

Holidays are great, but enjoy school as well. It's not just about grades and teachers

anyway. God knows rare are the people that loved high school while they were in it,

but think of it this way: the younger you are, the less nonsense you have to put up with.

Iva Šimek, 19

Spring break is the period of a year when I can enjoy doing things I normally can’t

because of all the school obligations. Still, instead of staying in bed all day and

catching up on resting, I do the opposite - get up early and enjoy the sunny spring

mornings.

Anamarija Mlikotić, 18

Spring break is a great time to catch up if you’re behind on your studies, but we

mustn’t forget to rest. Everyone should spend part of the holiday just relaxing and

hanging out with friends to refill their batteries for the last and most difficult part of

the school year.

Martina Zrilić, 18

Zero Conditional: If + Present Simple, Present Simple. For situations which are always true.

IF THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY.

STRATEGY: 1) Read the text to get the idea of what it is about, do not fill in any gaps – it is much easier to fill them in when you know what the text is about. 2) Read the text again, sentence by sentence focusing on the words before and after each gap, try to decide what type of word is missing (article, pronoun, preposition…) 3) Fill in the gaps with ONE word only that fits both the meaning and the grammar of the sentences. 4) Read the whole text again to see if it makes sense.

Open cloze task You read a short gapped text and you have to fill in the gaps using the context to decide which word best fits each gap. This task tests your knowledge of language structures – grammar and vocabulary. The missing words are mainly grammatical words or parts of phrases or fixed expressions. You must spell the words correctly, otherwise you will lose points. The missing words will probably be articles, pronouns, comparatives and superlatives, prepositions or auxil-iary verbs.

TIPS FOR TESTS - USEFUL STRATEGIES FOR THE MATURA EXAM

Pitch Perfect (2012)

As The Guardian put it, this is this is one of

the best musical comedies ever, going to

stranger places than Glee would ever

dare. A nonconformist Anna Kendrick

rocks up to college to help an a cappella

group deal with their failure, accept di-

versity and use what they have learned to

win at the regional singing competition.

Intelligent humour, sensational soundtrack

and an insight into slightly different way

of life on college. ▪ I.P.

P!nk: The Truth About Love (2012)

She first blew us away with Blow me

(One last kiss), then encouraged us to

get up and Try, and finally gave us

hope to love again with Nate Ruess in

Just Give Me a Reason. In short, every

single from Pink's seventh studio album

has become an instant hit. We love her

idiosyncrasy and bravery to talk about

her raw emotions, just as we adore her

perfect pop-rock-punk mix. ▪ I.P.

CHECK IT OUT!

Have you read this? Have you seen this? Have you heard this?

The Hunger Games Trilogy

In a fascinating dystopian world Suzanne

Collins has created in her The Hunger

Games trilogy, twelve districts live under

the rule of the government in the Capitol.

To preserve control over the districts the

Capitol rulers organize games in which

young tributes from all districts battle

each other to death. Then, one year

Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her

baby sister's place in the gladiatorial

arena. Compelling reading and the

characters you'll never forget! ▪ I.P.

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.

The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.

Henry Van Dyke

PAGE 3 MARCH 2013 STUDENTS’ CORNER

GRAMMAR TITBIT:

Zero CONDITIONAL

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF SPRING BREAK

http://youtu.be/FrHkKXFRbCI

Page 4: Sparkles #1

The role of the teacher has changed. From the ultimate source of knowledge we've turned into demonstrators and facilitators whose

job is to help students find their feet in the world. Moreover, it's hard to predict what the job will be all about in twenty years time. If nothing else, this is the reason to constantly work on ourselves.

The 21st century teachers have to accept the fact they'll always be learners. I dare to say obtaining a degree today simply means

we're ready and well-prepared to start the life-long learning process. Our education provides intellectual tools we'll need to

deal with the challenges that constant acquiring of knowledge puts in front of us.

CPD is inevitable because as professionals, we need to be current on practice requirements, technology and - why not - trends. Plus, we ought to keep up to date with changing regulations in the field

of education. In short, we cannot afford to stay behind, sticking firmly to stuff that came along with our degree.

More specifically, there are three main areas language teachers

should concentrate upon: subject - matter knowledge (language

evolves and methodology principles change), pedagogical exper-

tise (each new generation of children is different from the previous

one) and IT knowledge (computers are here to stay). I hope each

issue of this newsletter will help you make a step forward in that

direction. ▪ I.P.

No matter how exceptional a teacher you are, zero students' motivation means zero success.

To motivate means to provide with an incentive, a drive or desire that impels a person to act. Research has shown motivation is the underlying factor needed for achieving goals in the EFL classroom.

And, since it is essential to succeed, it makes perfect sense for teachers to develop their understanding of it.

There are three major sources of motivation in learning: intrinsic satisfaction, i.e. the learner’s natural interest; extrinsic reward i.e.

the end result and combining satisfaction and reward - success in the task. Teachers should help students look inside them to inspire moti-

vation within themselves and provide them the energy required to discover their own motivation. It is far from being easy - discussions on motivation are mostly based on the utopian belief that ‘all stu-

dents are motivated to learn under the right conditions, and that you can provide these conditions in the classroom.’ Although this

assumption is not necessarily true, this shouldn't put us off trying. This might help:

Zoltan Dornyei’s Ten Commandments for Motivating Language Learners:

1) Set a personal example with your own behaviour. 2) Create a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the classroom. 3) Present the task properly.

4) Develop a good relationship with the learners. 5) Increase the learner's linguistic self-confidence.

6) Make the language classes interesting. 7) Promote learner autonomy.

8) Personalize the learning process. 9) Increase the learners' goal-orientedness.

10) Familiarize learners with the target language culture. ▪ I.P.

ISSUES OF MOTIVATION

MARCH 2013 TEACHERS’ CORNER

THE IMPORTANCE OF

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT More than 17 million teachers and students can't be wrong!

Why not make use of the fact that our students are digital

natives? Try Edmodo - Facebook for the classroom. It is

free, doesn't take much time and it's a safe and easy way

for students and teachers to connect and collaborate. It

was started in 2008 by Nic Borg and Jeff O'Hara with the

intention to evolve the school environment to reflect the

increasingly connected world. Edmodo is meant to close the

gap between how students live their lives and how they

learn in school. Designed to get students excited about

learning in a familiar environment, it can be used to con-

tinue classroom discussions online, give polls to check for

student understanding, and award badges to individual

students based on performance or behaviour. Give it a try!

▪ I.P.

Any ideas on how to combine students' creativity, knowl-edge of grammar and writing skills? Try writing poetry! This

particular type called diamond poem is an excellent way to start. The pattern is simple enough to boost students' confi-dence necessary to get things started.

Line 1 - one noun Line 2- two adjectives to describe the noun in line 1

Line 3- three verbs that tell what the noun in line 1 does Line 4- four nouns that are common to or that somehow con-

nect the nouns in lines one and seven Line 5- three verbs that tell what the bottom word - noun in

line 7 does Line 6- two adjectives to describe the noun in line 7

Line 7- one noun seemingly different but related in some

way to the first noun ▪ I.P.

PAGE 4

Have you ever found yourself in the situation where

you just couldn’t keep a straight face? So what happens

when you hear or read such a mistake which makes you

double over in laughter? Well, here are some of the gems

from the English classroom. They’re an excellent way of

learning, of course. The topic of the lesson: dressing in

schools. ▪ M.I.

“Her skirt was so short that hardly reach legs.” “When girls wear too open clothes then teacher don't

know what to do.” “I should to wear whatever I want to, my grandmother

should not to.” “More naked, more boys, more cool.”

PRICELESS

HAVE YOU TRIED…?

IDEAS FOR TEACHERS

“You don’t have to be great to start,

but you have to start to be great.”

Zig Ziglar