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during the summer and come back, hopefully bigger and bet-ter, in September. Enjoy your summer and if you feel there's something to share - you know where to find us. ▪ M.I. & I.P.
Stay strong - we're almost there. That is, in short, the mantra that has been keeping all of us above the water for the past few weeks. All the students and teachers are eagerly waiting for the school year to finish. And what a school year it has been! Just a quick reminder... For the first time we celebrated Christmas stress-free, with no marks at the end of the first semester and without all the tears that accompany them. Was it a good thing? We'll know soon enough. Remember introducing health and civic education into our curriculum? And the contro-versy that came along? It felt like every single individual in
our country knew what was good for the students. And the less educated they were, the louder they became. Utter en-joyment. However, modesty aside, Spar-kles© has been the true highlight of this school year. For the two of us and our students, at least. The idea to create a safe place to present what we do, share ideas with colleagues and get the newest information proved to be a good one. Warm recep-tion among teachers, teacher trainers and some other people more or less involved in educa-tional matters and numerous contributions we've received make us believe we're not the only ones believing so. Thank you for that. We'll take a break
SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!
DID YOU KNOW? — MIDSUMMER
Midsummer is the period of time
centered upon the summer solstice.
The Europeans celebrate it in differ-
ent ways sometime between June 21
and June 25. In Scandinavian, Finish
and other Baltic cultures it is espe-
cially important and the most cele-
brated holiday except Christmas!
Although it is an originally pagan
holiday, in Christianity it is associ-
ated with the birth of John the Bap-
tist.
Different countries have different
customs for marking midsummer. In
Croatia it is called Ivanje and is
mostly celebrated in rural areas on
June 23 - St. John’s Eve. Traditionally,
bonfires - Ivanjski krijesovi - are built on
river shores, lakes or beaches for the
young people to jump over the flames.
In the UK the celebrations are held on
Midsummer Eve on June 23 and June
28 with the lighting of bonfires, feast-
ing and merrymaking.
Midsummer Eve was generally believed
to be the time of possibility and magic,
so it is no wonder that Shakespeare
choose it to set the scene for his fa-
mous comedy “Midsummer Night’s
Dream”. ▪ M.I.
June 2013 ISSUE 04/13
WOULD YOU LIKE TO
RECEIVE SPARKLES©
STRAIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL
ADDRESS?
Just send us an email and
you can subscribe to this
newsletter.
We will send you each new
edition straight to your
email address.
Inside this issue:
Summer vacations 2
CN TXT? 3
What students did... 4
Celtic horoscope 5
Active citizens 6
Successful lessons 7
Internet language 8
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]
Contributors to
this issue:
Romana Gašpar,
School of Economics
and Tourism,
Daruvar
Vedrana
Dujnić Petrač,
High school Čazma
If you don’t have contact with native English speakers, you can use a Facebook application to contact people: 1.Open https://apps.facebook.com/speak-in/ 2. Select the language you want to learn and your native language. 3. Click on "Select Levels/Topics", and choose what you want. 4. Click on "Learn Together", and start speaking. 5. Also you can click on "Language Exchange" to communicate with native speakers.
You can learn 10 new words in a day, spend-ing just 30 minutes. If you do it all through the summer break, you can learn more than 700 words! 1. Find your favourite TV series, movies, songs, books or jokes - whatever you like. 2. Chose 10 new words, check http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/ to hear them pronounced and discover their meaning. Try to work out the translation based on the English explanations and exam-ple sentences. 3. Keep vocabulary records and brag to your teacher when you come back in September.
Don't forget why you are learning English - to communicate.
speeches that are easier to deliver orally and understand aurally. The class’s focus on understanding the key parts of an argument and drafting clear and concise arguments translates directly to other academic assignments. https://www.coursera.org/
course/publicspeak
The course lasts 10 weeks, with a workload of 3 hours a week. You will develop your communication skills and study the principles of public speaking, argumentation and arrangement; critically examining your own and others’ speeches through interactive practice. You'll learn how to prepare
Take a completely free online course in public
speaking organized by University of Washington
Something to
watch A modern take on
the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the
detective now living in New York City.
Jonny Lee Miller as the famous detective
and Lucy Liu as his faithful companion.
Page 2
JUNE 2013 ISSUE 04/13 THIS MONTH’S BUZZ
SUMMER VACATIONS!!! There are 10 weeks of absolute freedom in front of you. Sparkles© has a few ideas how not to die of boredom...
Learn English, ofc!
Travel...
When it gets too hot to stay outside...
“Under the Dome”, a series that launches June 24 on CBS, is
based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel about a small
town that is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the
rest of the world by a transparent dome.
Something to read The Caster Chronicles
A five-book series written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl has been on the New
York Times bestseller list. It is a love story of a human boy and a Caster girl, full of mys-
tery, tension and wonder. ▪ M.I.
Page 3
The 21st century students
are said to be digital
natives, born with a
mobile in one hand and a
tablet in the other. Do
you agree? Prove it! Here
is a list of some of the
most used texting and
chat abbreviations.
Decipher them and send
your answer via email!
We'll publish the winners'
names in the September
issue.
coo gerd hmu wut props sup idk wbu kk idc
wdymbt jk meh uok tbh gtg gg wtb bbiab jtlyk
CN TXT?
ISSUE 04/13 STUDENTS’ CORNER
Plan for the next school year
The last Comenius meeting of the project "Let's meet under the spots" was held in Daruvar from April 15 to April 19, 2013. 10 teachers and 18 students from Turkey, Romania, the Czech Republic and Greece had the opportunity to see some of the best "spots" of Croatia, as they went on a trip to Istria and Krk, explored Daruvar and enjoyed its tourist offer and visited our capital, Zagreb. The second year of the project dealt with national folk tales of our countries and each partner had to make a new text combining elements, characters and plot of the chosen folk tales.
The final outcome of the project was a joint theatre performance, which was held in our school. The students from each country presented their countries with their traditional dances and songs. The theatre performance "Our future" was written by the students of our school and performed by the students from partner schools as well as the students from our school. The meeting was a great success and goodbye
seemed to be the hardest word. ▪ R.G.
and IT skills, and was intended
to show students how they can
speak up and make their voices
heard by addressing local
authorities. Namely, students
presented their ideas to Mrs
Snježana Dončević, Deputy
Mayor, Mrs Elvira Babić
Marković, the Head of the
Culture, Education and Sports
Department and Vinka Jelić
Balta, the Head of the City
Library. Professor Maja
Ivanović helped mentoring
students. ▪ I.P.
While High school Čazma
seniors were sweating over
their matura exam, freshmen
and juniors had fun on a joint
project in the City library. In
groups, students made Power-
Point presentations about their
home town, saying what they
(dis)like about it and, more
importantly, what they would
like to see in it in the future,
once they graduate from
college and come back to start a
family. The project combined
language, communicative, social
Let's meet under the spots - in Daruvar
Page 4
JUNE 2013 ISSUE 04/13 SCHOOL PROJECTS
My Town in Ten Years Time
PINE (February 19th-February 28th; August 24th-
September 2nd)
UNDER THE SIGN OF LIGHT. The Celts called it ''the tree
of fire'' because they used its
bark and resin to make
torches.
YOUR PROFILE: Whatever
you do, you have to see
clearly. You hate frauds and
you appreciate honesty above
anything. But just like your
tree, which grows without bothering its cognates, you keep
your freedom of thought while respecting the others at the
same time.
DRUIDS' ADVICE: If the opinion of others can help you, you
should avoid hesitating for too long and make some decisions
quickly. The times of reflexion are gone, it is time for action
now...
WILLOW (March 1st-March 10th; September 3rd-
September 12th)
UNDER THE SIGN OF SADNESS. Willow, which lives by
the water, invites you to meditate. It's the symbol of uncon-
scious.
YOUR PROFILE: It's hard for you to stay concentrated. You
are a big dreamer, and you feel the
need to forget about the whole world so
you can dive into your dreams. With
your melancholic nature, you turn
around in circles very often. Your
ideal: a partner who is gentle and com-
forting.
DRUIDS' ADVICE: Even if you don't
get the answers to all your questions
immediately, don't waste your time on
questioning yourself, and try not to look back. One page in
Page 5
ISSUE 04/13 CELTIC HOROSCOPE 2/4
LIME (March 11th-March 20th; September 13th-
September 22nd)
UNDER THE SIGN OF
SWEETNESS. Lime is the sym-
bol of friendship. Young oaks
grow in the shade of limes...
YOUR PROFILE. Gentle and
sensitive, you hate stress and
fights. You are reconciling
when you're with your friends
and you don't mind making sac-
rifices if you want to make them
happy. You have a lot of talents,
but you underestimate yourself sometimes.
DRUIDS' ADVICE. If somebody offers you a hand, don't
refuse it. You have given a lot, so you can receive too. It's
time for constructive changes. You have enough support
around you.
OAK (March 21st) UNDER THE SIGN OF FORCE. Symbol of power and firm-
ness, an oak defies centuries. It's the tree of the druids. It was
adored by the Celts, they regarded it as a temple.
YOUR PROFILE. Just like the
tree that governs you, you are
naturally strong and robust. It's not
easy to knock you down. You are
strong enough to carry the world
on your shoulders. You are a per-
son of action and strong will, you
work without objections, but you
don't like changes.
DRUIDS' ADVICE. Everybody
expects a lot from you. The task you have is huge, but the
satisfaction coming afterwards is even bigger. If you want to
succeed, you have to rally people about you. And you can do
it. Still, be careful, don't forget to listen to other people.
HAZEL (March 22nd- March 31st; September 24th-
October 3rd)
UNDER THE SIGN OF ADVENTURE. Symbol of creativ-
ity, hazel is considered to be a magic tree. The druids used it
frequently as a help in
their incantation.
YOUR PROFILE: You
have the soul of a pioneer,
and you like to leave the
tested routes. You are
attracted by everything
that's not ordinary. You
don't have prejudice.
DRUIDS' ADVICE: Sometimes you run with the hare and
ride with the hounds. You have to stop, or otherwise you'll
lose everything. It is time to collect all your ideas and con-
struct a solid project. The reality might not be the same as
your dreams, but hold on!
To be continued... ▪ V. D. P.
Globally connected, locally engaged
It took us three weekends, from March to May, but we did it! Three women from our county, Dinka Ivanović, the headmaster of School of economy and tourism in Daruvar, Sanja Klubička, the headmaster of Technical school in Daruvar and Irena Pavlović, a teacher from High school Čazma participated in British council training and received Certificates of recognition for Active Citizens Programme. We spent 6 days in the education that covered active citizenship, self-awareness, identity, diversity and dialogue, sharing and learning from others, Ubuntu philosophy, systems thinking, 4D cycle, project planning and advocacy skills. If you are not familiar with the project, take a few minutes and read the article or search their website (link at the bottom). You'll be amazed.
ACTIVE CITIZENS EXPLAINED In today's world, we encounter a greater variety of per-spectives, cultures and communities than ever before. This is partly the result of globalisation, through which people and countries have become increasingly connected culturally, politically and economically. The Active Citizens programme envisages a world in which these increasing connections lead to positive outcomes. A world where people feel empowered to engage peaceably and effectively with others in the sustainable development of their communities. We think this vision is important at a time when decisions taken locally can have an immediate impact globally and vice versa. Active Citizens is a not-for-profit programme run by the
British Council in partnership with civil society organisa-
tions who share our vision. The programme works with
people who have demonstrated they have local social
responsibility, including youth workers, women’s groups,
educators and faith leaders. Working together, these local
influencers build trust and understanding, develop skills
and deliver projects on urgent themes such as poverty,
literacy, democracy and climate change, and connecting
local and international agendas through the programme.
http://activecitizens.britishcouncil.org/content/active-
citizens-explained
How it works 1. A national strategy. Research identifies key national issues. The British Council then forms partnerships with civil society organisations working in these areas, to enable the delivery of Active Citizens locally. 2. Facilitator development workshops. Delivery partners identify local facilitators. These facilitators take part in facilitator develop-ment workshops to find out more about the programme and explore approaches to delivering the programme locally. 3. Local community delivery. Local facilitators adapt and deliver local workshops to groups of Active Citizens in their communities. 4. Active Citizens work with facilitators to design and deliver social action projects in their communities. 5. Globally connected. Locally engaged Active Citizens connect to a global network through study visits and exchanges with other countries, as well as through sharing via online portals and working on joint activities with communities around the world. All of which contributes to building a global network of locally engaged Active Citizens who have:
A strong sense of their own culture and identity
Knowledge and understanding of their local community
Project planning, leadership and management skills
Responsibility towards sustainable development
Value for, and work effectively with, difference.
Page 6
JUNE 2013 ISSUE 04/13
Active citizens —
teachers from all
over Croatia
ACTIVE CITIZENS
Delivering a successful lesson is a complex issue and can hardly come down to the teacher. However, there are some key points we can focus on in order to increase our success. Considering the students may seem too obvious a point, but in the rush of all daily activities, it is easy to deliver content with-out focussing on the individ-ual students in front of us. What are their abilities, their interests? How do they feel that day and how could these considerations affect the lesson? Perhaps we need to make some slight adjust-ments that will help our lesson flow better. Another important thing is beginning and ending the lesson well. A good beginning has impact, drawing the students’ attention and en-gaging them in what they are about to do. It is also clear as to what the students will be doing in the lesson. A clear idea of the outcome of the lesson will help students
become more personally involved in the activities, helping them to learn better. A good ending will give students a sense of achievement, of having learned. Students can reflect on what they have learned and what skills they have developed. Equally impor-tant, they can also consider what might have been diffi-cult during the lesson, leading them to focus on that aspect of their learning. How often do you look at the material you use critically? It will greatly contribute to the success of your lesson if it relates to your students and if it is relevant to them. Almost any topic can be made relevant, but it is important to focus on this in order to make it so. Students may find a topic boring or a language point too difficult to understand. However, making their feelings and opinions part of the lesson will help to involve them.
Contributing to the lesson in this way helps them take responsibility for what happens in their lessons. They, too, contribute to the success of the lesson. Students today learn as much outside the classroom as they do in class, maybe even more in some cases. Successful lessons take this into consid-eration and don’t end when the class ends. There are many ways to extend the lesson beyond the classroom. Students can find links between the topics in class, maybe from their course book, to their world. Technology is an integral part of our students’ lives, providing ample opportunity for continuing language work outside of class. This could be based on language work integrated with the course book, or online work based on researching a topic. Teachers can also consider using students’ digital devices to bring their lives into the classroom. ▪ I.P.
Successful lessons
Take it easy...
Experts say that many people nowadays are stressed when taking their days off or going on holiday. We plan too many things, there is not enough time, and, what is more, we’re determined to catch up with everything we’ve missed while we were working.
Let’s make this summer different. It’s highly likely that the picture on the left perfectly describes how you are feeling at the moment, but, in order to come back as fresh as a daisy in late August, you need to take it easy during the vacation. The third issue of Sparkles© gave 50 ideas on how to take a break.
Make sure to try at least half of them. ▪ I.P.
Page 7
ISSUE 04/13
“The mediocre
teacher tells.
The good
teacher
explains.
The superior
teacher
demonstrates.
The great
teacher
inspires.”
― William
Arthur Ward
TEACHERS’ CORNER
Have you tried...? www.teachingenglish.org.uk
Across the site you can find free classroom materials to download, from short activities to full lesson
plans, for teaching kids and adults. There are also articles on different aspects of teaching, and free
teacher development and teacher training materials. You can register on TeachingEnglish and join in
the discussions or start your own blog. You can also keep up to date with new materials via
Facebook or subscribe to their newsletter. Year after year, they add more new tools and materials to
help us in the classroom and with our development.
I’d specially recommend This is Great Britain resources for teachers. Of course, you should mention
this site to your students—no matter which age group and level you teach, they have something for
everyone. ▪ I.P.
TEACHERS’ CORNER
Though I'm a language purist my-self, I have some reservations about English being abused and impoverished online. When it comes to blogs, there are numer-ous that are more than well-written and a real pleasure to read. And emails? Well, just like any other type of correspondence, it comes down to people sending it. We can hardly say all letters and postcards are beautifully styled. Moreover, I've recently come across some fine examples of es-say-writing (check Aeon magazine and Matter). As a person who spends a lot of time online and works as an editor of a newsletter in English, I have to say the Inter-net seems rather faithfully to
In case you read The Observer, don't read this article - you already know what it will be all about. Ap-parently, the Internet, despite some of its good qualities, is not all good news. According to Robert McCrum (whose complaint is, admittedly, just one of many), online writing is destroying the purity of English as we know it and threatening to dumb us all down into a herd of screen-jabbing illit-erates. McCrum is worried about what he describes as "the abuse and impoverishment of English online (notably, in blogs and emails)" and what he perceives as "the overall crassness of English prose in the age of global commu-nications".
transmit whatever I type to the eyes of the readers without do-ing any violence to it at all. If there's anything wrong with the result, it's my fault, not the Inter-net's. I'm not trying to say that there is no bad writing on the web, just the opposite, but what I am try-ing to assert is that it all comes down to the author. Thanks to the Internet, people are writing more and there is more writing at all levels than ever before in history. The average remains the same. Not everyone can be Wil-liam Shakespeare and not every-one will start writing in codes. At least IMHO. ▪ I.P.
Internet debasing language? Hm… Really?
“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave
them life, those the art of living well.” ― Aristotle
“What the
teacher is, is
more important
than what he
teaches.”
― Karl A.
Menninger