So, it's April already. One

of my favourite months. First

of all, this is the part of the

year when true spring

begins. And that is a

fantastic season - it's warm

enough to sit outside and

sip endless coffees with

your friends, to walk your

dog or just wander around

the forest or the city,

whichever you prefer.

On the other hand, April is

one of those months with a

number of strange holidays

and observances; there are

more than 70 so everyone

can find something to enjoy

and celebrate. Starting with

April Fool's Day which, as

Mark Twain put it, is the

day reminding us of what

we are on the other 364

days, and then moving on to

Tweed Day, Tell a Lie Day,

Plan Your Epitaph Day, or

some even stranger days

like Blah, Blah, Blah Day,

High Five Day or Pretzel

Day.

Of course, we haven't had

enough space in this issue of

Sparkles© to write about all

of them, but that doesn't

mean we won't do it next

year. For this issue we

decided to celebrate spring

and give you a nudge to go

outside and see nature

awakening. And while

doing that you can also

observe International

Moment of Laughter Day,

Look up at the Sky Day and

two of my favourites:

Lover's Day and Kiss Your

Mate Day.

Whatever you do, don't

miss out on the latest issue

of Sparkles© - we hope

you'll like it. ▪ I.P.

Once upon a time in APRIL 02/04/1982 - The beginning of the ten-week Falkland Islands War as troops from Argentina invaded and occupied the

British colony located near the tip of South America.

03/04/1948 - President Harry S. Truman signed the European Recovery Program (the Marshall Plan) intended to stop the

spread of Communism and restore the economies devastated by WWII.

04/04/1949 - Twelve nations signed the treaty creating NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

04/04/1968 - Civil Rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was killed by a sniper in Memphis, Tennessee.

06/04/1896 - After a 1500 years break, the first modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece.

11/04/1970 - Apollo 13 was launched from Cape Kennedy. Fifty-six hours into the flight an oxygen tank exploded in the

service module. Astronauts managed to return to Earth safely.

12/04/1961 - Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

14/04/1865 - President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded while watching a performance at Ford's Theatre

in Washington. He died the following morning.

23/04/1564 - William Shakespeare was born at Stratford-on-Avon, England.

30/04/1789 - George Washington became the first U.S. President.

Nature Awakening

Nature 2

All about the plants 4

Effective presentations 6

English is weird pt.1 8

Inside this issue:

Did you know? - HENRY JAMES

Henry James (15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916) was an American-British writer who spent most

of his writing career in Britain. He is regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary

realism. James alternated between America and Europe but eventually settled in England,

becoming a British subject one year before his death. He is best known for a number of novels

showing Americans encountering Europe and Europeans. His method of writing from the point of

view of a character within a tale allows him to explore issues related to consciousness and

perception, and his style in later works has been compared to impressionist painting.

In addition to his voluminous works of fiction, he published articles and books of travel,

biography, autobiography, and criticism, and wrote plays. Some of his best known works are

The Portrait of a Lady, The Golden Bowl, The Ambassadors, Washington Square,

The Turn of the Screw and many more.

Monthly newsletter for and by English learners and teachers

Editors:

Maja Ivanović, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar

Irena Pavlović, prof. mentor Srednja škola Čazma

email: sparkles.newsletter@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sparkles.newsletter

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE:

Antonela Gelenđir

Agricultural school Zagreb

Ivona Ivančić, Paula Novaković &

Dominik Piskor

class 2B at

Commercial and trade school

Bjelovar

April is here and with it comes beautiful springtime

weather. April is officially recognized as American

National Lawn and Garden Month in honour of the

beautiful weather throughout the United States.

Public gardens and parks are popular destinations

for tourists, locals and everyone in between

throughout April, since they both are green and

blooming with flowers. Of course, you should also

celebrate it by sprucing up your own front yard

with fresh flowers, green grass and all the fixings of

a perfect springtime garden.

Why are we suggesting this? Because we know how

much you love your laptop, TV and your

smartphone.

Because we are more than aware that sometimes

the only natural landscape you see is the one on

your desktop and, although you probably have an

app telling you which plants and animals can be

seen in your area, you haven't actually checked if it

works. So, AccuWeather keeps saying it is sunny

and warm outside, why not go and see it for

yourself?

Nature in spring is a very exciting time

with many things happening. Spring is a

time when everything grows and bursts

into life. It is a time of birth, rebirth and

renewal, a literal change from brown to

green. Birds are singing, leaves are

unfolding, butterflies are starting to be

seen and mammals are beginning to wake

from their winter sleep.

Lawn and Garden Month in the States —

This season is a time of days getting longer

and the spring sunshine bringing growth

and greenery everywhere with buds

bursting and leaves unfolding. Birdsong

reaches a peak and many flowers appear, in

turn attracting insect-life, including bees

and butterflies. Animals which have

hibernated over winter appear on the first

warm days of spring so keep an eye out in

early spring for hedgehogs, newly emerged

queen bees, frogs, toads, grass snakes,

lizards and adders. Other animals such as

squirrels become more active and are easier

to spot. Millions of migrant birds arrive,

with storks, chiffchaffs, and sand martins

amongst the first to appear in March and

swallows, swifts, cuckoos, nightingales and

many warblers in April and May. Nature is

at its most busy in spring, every day brings

changes, the sap is rising, and for many

species finding a mate and successfully

breeding is top priority.▪ I.P.

Page 2

~ THIS MONTH’S BUZZ ~

— Nature Month in Sparkles©

TOP THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Budburst – watch the progress of spring in a

hedge. The buds of hawthorn burst and new

fresh green leaves appear followed by creamy

white flowers in late April or May. The

blossom was once known as ‘May’ but in many

places flowers now appear in April, perhaps

an indication that climate change is making

spring come earlier.

Queen bumblebees – look out for the first

bumblebees on warm days in April. These will

be queens which have successfully survived

the winter and are now seeking nectar and

pollen from Spring flowers.

Frogs and toads on the move – one of the

first signs of spring is the spawning of frogs

and toads. Look for masses of jelly-like frog

spawn in local ponds and ditches. Toads often

travel long distances to suitable ponds to

breed in and sadly often get killed crossing

roads. They travel at night when it's cooler

and damper. ▪ I.P.

TOP THREE THINGS TO DO

Visit a bird colony – though birdwatching is

considered to be a British hobby (which is no

wonder - Britain has some of the most

important bird colonies in Europe), it is only

recently gaining in popularity in Croatia, too.

Did you know that there are 371 bird species

in Croatia, an exceptionally high number for a

country of this size? There are 228 nesting

species, of which 78 are registered as

endangered species in Europe. There are 19

bird reserves and 40 areas important for bird

life. Definitely an amazing experience.

Learn bird songs – spring is when bird song

is at its best. Take a dawn chorus walk and

listen to the music of nature - early morning

is the best time for listening to bird song. So,

why not get up early and start by learning

bird songs in your own garden?

Become an agriculturalist and sow some

seeds – read the article on page 8 and

give it a try. ▪ I.P.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT PHENOLOGY IS?

If you are interested in science and are

thinking about a career as an agriculturalist

or a biologist, consider keeping a chart of the

blooming sequence of the plants, trees and

shrubs in your area. Observation of the

relationship between climate and the life

cycles of plants and animals is called

phenology and it may be an excellent

introduction to your future career and provide

some valuable experience. Spring, being a

new beginning, is a good time to start

observing those relationships.▪ I.P.

Page 3

~ THIS MONTH’S BUZZ ~

In 1973 Peter Tompkins and

Christopher Bird published

The Secret Life of Plants, a

book documenting controversial

experiments that reveal

unusual phenomena regarding

plants such as plant sentience,

discovered through

experimentation. It also

discusses alternative

philosophy, practice on soil and

soil health, as well as on

progressive farming methods

together with pseudoscientific

topics such as magnetotropism,

bio-electrics, aura,

psychophysics, orgone energy,

radionics, kirlian photography,

and dowsing.

The book was the basis for the

1979 documentary of the same

name, directed by Walon

Green. The film made use of

time-lapse photography where

plants are seen growing in a

few seconds, creepers reach out

to other plants and tug on

them, mushrooms and flowers

open. The film was originally

distributed by Paramount

Pictures and can be found on

Youtube (https://

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=dFYgue5VfGk).

This intriguing film features

soundtrack by Stevie Wonder,

later released as Journey

through the Secret Life of

Plants. The soundtrack is also

available on Youtube (https://

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=GBLp8BedZgE). ▪ I.P.

Page 4

HAVE YOU READ, SEEN AND HEARD IT?

THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS

~ STUDENTS’ CORNER ~

nip in the bud If you nip a problem or an

unacceptable situation in the bud, you stop it at an early stage, before

it develops or becomes worse.

beat around the bush This expression is used to tell someone to say what

they have to say, clearly and directly, even if it is

unpleasant.

fresh as a daisy Someone who is (as)

fresh as a daisy is lively and attractive, in a clean

and fresh way.

pushing up the daisies To say that someone is

pushing up the daisies means that they are dead.

lead up the garden path If someone leads you up the

garden path, they deceive you by making you believe

something which is not true.

make hay while the sun shines This expression is used as an

encouragement to take advantage of a good situation which may not last.

grass roots The term grass roots refers to the ordinary people who form the

main body of an organization.

green fingers To have green fingers means to be good at

gardening.

shake like a leaf If you shake like a leaf, you

tremble with fear or nervousness.

turn over a new leaf If a person turns over a new leaf, they decide to change their behaviour

and lead a better life.

come up roses If things come up roses, the end result is successful or

positive, even if there were difficult times.

grasp at straws If you are in a desperate

situation and you grasp at straws, you try any method, even if it has little chance of

success, in an attempt to find a solution.

thorn in your side If you say that someone is a

thorn in your side, you mean that they continually

irritate or annoy you.

barking up the wrong tree A person who is barking up the wrong tree

is doing the wrong thing, because their beliefs or ideas are incorrect or mistaken.

can't see the wood for the trees If someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are so concentrated on the

details that they can't see the situation as a whole.

IDIOMS RELATED TO PLANTS

The naked earth is warm with Spring,

And with green grass and bursting trees

Leans to the sun’s kiss glorying,

And quivers in the sunny breeze.

~Julian Grenfell~

When April scatters charms of primrose gold

Among the copper leaves in thickets old,

And singing skylarks from the meadows rise,

To twinkle like black stars in sunny skies;

When I can hear the small woodpecker ring

Time on a tree for all the birds that sing;

And hear the pleasant cuckoo, loud and long --

The simple bird that thinks two notes a song.

~William Henry Davies, April's Charms ~

Page 5

~ STUDENTS’ CORNER ~

Plants good for the house Since many of us spend most of our free time at home, it is very

important to have good indoor air quality. The well known fact

is that plants produce oxygen which to us is the source of life,

but it is also very important to know that at night plants take

oxygen, so when we sleep it is recommended to be in a room with

few or no plants. I would say that all plants are good for the

house, but there are always good and better options.

Spider plant is a resilient

plant with lots of rich foliage

and tiny white flowers, this

plant is also considered a

safe houseplant if you have

pets in the house. It is used

in the leather, rubber and

printing industries.

Peace lily is a very beautiful plant

with a beutiful white flower shaped

like a feather and all that it needs is

weekly watering and some shade to

produce blooms.

Weeping fig is a ficus which, if

put in your living room, can help

filter out pollutants that

typically accompany carpeting

and furniture. Caring for a ficus

can be tricky, but once you get the watering and light conditions

right, they will last a long time. ▪ I.I.

Carnivorous plants - specialized for

trapping and digestion of animals

There are 630 known different carnivorous plants

throughout the world and the greatest variety of those

can be seen in North America. They

inhabit bogs, rocky areas and other

types of soils that lack nutrients. They

can survive on different altitudes and

various climates, but they do not

tolerate dry

habitats. Diet

based on animal

flesh provides

nutrients that

other plants

normally absorb

from the ground. Carnivorous

plants differ in size, shape and

mechanisms used to attract the

prey. These plants have very

interesting morphology and unusual eating habits,

which makes them popular, so they are often

cultivated. Just like all other plants, they obtain energy

in the process of photosynthesis. They absorb sunlight

and carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere to create food.

Most species of carnivorous

plants are small herbaceous

plants that can reach 30

centimeters in height. Some

look like bushy vines. They

can grow to the height of 90

centimeters and are often very

colorful, have beautiful smell and

produce large quantities of nectar. The lifespan of these

plants depends on the species, but some can survive up

to 50 years in the wild. ▪ P.N.

Venus flytrap

Leaf of Drosera

Nepenthes

Plants in superlatives There are a lot of different plants in the world and each is special in its own way. People are not that

interested in them because they are somehow boring, but what people don’t really know is what

strange plants exist in this world.

The smallest plant in the world is called Watermeal. This bright green plant is

found all over the planet and is about the size of a grain of rice!

The biggest plant in the world bears the name Rafflesia and it can weigh up to 4

kilograms. Its appearance and smell remind of rotten meat, it attracts flies that

pollinate it.

The tallest plant in the world is called Titan arum and it can can reach over 3

metres. It also smells badly. It is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched

inflorescence in the world.

One of the most poisonous plants in the world is called the Castor oil plant, or

Ricinus. It is used for making oil, some say that the oil is toxic and some not.

One of the rarest plants in the world is Chocolate cosmos. Native to Mexico, where it is extinct in the

wild, it survives as a single clone reproduced by vegetative propagation. During the summer, flower

lets sweet vanilla smell. ▪ D.P.

Page 6

~ TEACHERS’ CORNER ~

How to create an effective presentation?

Minimize the number of slides.

To maintain a clear message and to keep your audience

attentive and interested, keep the number of slides in your

presentation to a minimum.

Choose a font style and font size that your audience

can read from a distance.

Choosing the right font style helps to get your message

across. Avoid narrow fonts, those that are difficult to read

and fonts that include fancy edges. When it comes to font

size, don't use anything smaller than 22 points and combine

different font sizes for different parts of the presentation.

Keep your text simple by using bullet points or short

sentences.

Use bullets or short sentences, and try to keep each to one

line; that is, without text wrapping. You want your audience

to listen to you present your information, rather than read

the screen.

Use art to help convey your message.

Use graphics to help tell your story. Don't overwhelm your

audience by adding too many graphics to a slide, however.

Make labels for charts and graphs understandable.

Use only enough text to make label elements in a chart or

graph comprehensible.

Make slide backgrounds subtle and keep them

consistent.

Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is

not too eye-catching. You don't want the background or

design to detract from your message.

Use high contrast between background colour and text

colour.

Themes automatically set the contrast between a light

background with dark coloured text or dark background

with light coloured text. The first option is better because it

is more visible unless the room is very dark.

Check the spelling and grammar.

To earn and maintain the respect of your audience, always

check the spelling and grammar in your presentation.

Show up early and verify that your equipment works

properly.

Make sure that all equipment is connected and running.

Don't assume that your presentation will work fine

on another computer.

Disk failures, software version mismatches, lack of disk

space, low memory, and many other factors can ruin a

presentation. Turn off screen savers to keep your audience

focused on the content of your presentation, and make sure

that you have the appropriate files and versions of

software that you need.

Verify that the projector's resolution is the same as

the computer on which you created your

presentation.

If the resolutions don't match, your slides may be cropped,

or other display problems can occur.

Check all colours on a projection screen before

giving the actual presentation.

The colours may project differently than what appears on

your monitor.

Avoid moving the pointer unconsciously.

When you are not using the pointer, remove your hand

from the mouse. This helps to stop you from moving the

pointer unconsciously, which can be distracting.

Do not read the presentation.

Practice the presentation so that you can speak from

bullet points. The text should be a cue for the presenter

rather than the full message for the audience.

Stay on time.

If you plan a certain amount of time for your presentation,

do not go over. If there is no time limit, take less time

rather than more to ensure that people stay engaged.

Monitor your audience's behaviour.

Each time that you deliver a presentation, monitor your

audience's behaviour. If you observe people focusing on

your slides, the slides may contain too much data or be

confusing or distracting in some other way. Use the

information you learn each time to improve your future

presentations. ▪ I.P.

~ TEACHERS’ CORNER ~ Page 7

Have you tried...using rubrics?

Rubrics have become popular with teachers as a means of communicating

expectations for an assignment, providing focused feedback on works in

progress, and grading final products. Although educators tend to define the

word “rubric” in slightly different ways, one commonly accepted definition

says it is a document articulating the expectations for an assignment by

listing the criteria, or what counts, and describing levels of quality from

excellent to poor. They can also be used as a teaching tool; when used as

part of a formative, student-centred approach to assessment, rubrics have

the potential to help students develop understanding and skill, as well as

make dependable judgments about the quality of their own work. If you

want to know more and give it a go, visit http://rubistar.4teachers.org/

index.php - they'll give you everything you need.

CPD in 10 minutes or less

If you feel you need some help with creating and delivering presentations

and don't feel like reading the guidelines on the previous page, you may

appreciate this 9-minute-video, the Principles of Effective Presentations,

available on Youtube https://youtu.be/XxR8lh9riFg. It describes the four

steps in the process of making effective presentations and gives some basic

tips for thinking about it.

ENGLISH IS WEIRD pt. 1

~ MISCELLANEOUS ~

The seeds should be left for a week, week and a half to

come out and they need watering every day.

When the first leaves and stalks grow for about 7cm, little

plants should be replanted into another small jar with

more distance between them in the ground. When you do

it, put the entire stalk all the way up to the first leaves

into the ground in order for the root to develop well. Then

the plant grows and with it grows the number of leaves on

the plant, and when the little plants grow about 15 cm

long, they are ready to be planted out in the open. Of

course, replant them in spring when there is enough sun

and heat. In order for your

plants to get a chance to have

fruit you have to ensure

conditions for photosynthesis .

For photosynthesis plants

need water, chlorophyll and

nitrogen from the air.

Connected, they turn into

sugar that goes into the fruits

of plants and oxygen that we,

humans, use for breathing.

In your garden you can

cultivate any agricultural

crops that thrive in your area. People here mostly grow

vegetables for their own diet, like peppers, tomatoes,

carrot, parsley, celery. They also cultivate fruit trees that

need to be cropped regularly and that bear a lot of fruits

like apples, pears, plums, cherries, etc.

If you are not interested in agricultural plants, you can try

cultivating decorative plants and plant them outside in

the flower garden or keep them in the house on the

windowsill and still enjoy beautiful greenery. Decorative

plants are not difficult to keep, there are some of them

which we keep in the house and these are mostly plants

that fail in our area. You can grow decorative plants such

as flowers outside but you still need to take care of them

so the plants are as beautiful as possible. ▪ A.G.

1. ‘E’ is the most commonly used letter in the English

language. In fact, as many as one in eight of all the letters

written in English is ‘e’.

2. More English words begin with the letter ‘S’ than any

other letter of the alphabet.

3. ‘Go!’ is the shortest complete

sentence in the English language.

4. The longest English word that can

be spelled without repeating any

letters is ‘uncopyrightable’.

5. The word "queue" is the only word

in the English language that is still

pronounced the same way when the

last four letters are removed.

6. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with

all the letters in alphabetical order.

7. "Rhythm" is the longest English word

without a vowel.

8. The dot over the letter "i" and the letter "j"

is called a "superscript dot".

9. Do you know what is special about the

following sentence? ‘The quick brown fox

jumps over the lazy dog’. This type of sen-

tence is called a ‘pangram’ as it uses every

letter in the English language.

10. The following sentence contains seven

different spellings of the sound “ee”: ‘He believed Caesar

could see people seizing the seas’.

Have you ever asked yourself where all the food that we

eat comes from?

All that was cultivated by someone. And, have you ever

thought about cultivating something yourself? Try it,

you might get to like it because why buy vegetables and

fruit if you can produce it yourself in your own garden,

without any help. At the same time you'll feel great

because it is an indescribable feeling to produce

something with your own hands and it is much cheaper

than buying vegetables from the store which, at the

same time, are not as good as they should be.

If we look at it, out of a

small seed, the size of a few

millimetres, plants can grow

longer than one meter,

bearing a lot of fruits that

are healthy and taste great.

That is better than going to

the store and just buying

the most beautiful

vegetables that you see.

People who deal with

cultivating are called

agronomists and you can

start to be one of them and cultivate food for your diet at

home. Agronomy is the science of growing agricultural

crops and every one of you can become a novice

agronomist and cultural plant breed for food at home.

For starters, you can breed small plants on the

window in your room or in another protected place

where it is warm enough and where small plants have

enough light for the photosynthesis, which is the most

important process in the plant.

You can take seeds of any vegetable culture that you like

or love and seed them in a small jar or something that's

close at hand and you can always handle it

easily, like egg boxes.

How to become an agriculturalist