Magazine for and by English learners and teachers Editors: Maja Jeleković, prof. Komercijalna i trgovačka škola Bjelovar Irena Pavlović, prof. savjetnik Srednja škola Čazma email: sparkles.newsletter@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sparkles.newsletter March/April CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE:
Issue 28/16
Just a bit more to go...
Lara Lovrić, High School “August Šenoa” Garešnica Romana Zelda, School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar
Inside this issue: County Competition
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Stray Animals Day
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Comparing and Contrasting
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Where I Feel Alive
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EPC
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Tribute to William Shakespeare
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Curricular Reform
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The fourth issue of Sparkles© as a magazine is in front of you. The 28th in total. Coming right after the spring break which gave some of a chance to recharge our batteries and start the final part of the school year – the last ten weeks – fresh. This issue also follows several important things in the EFL community, one local, two regional and one global. Six-month-county project – the English proficiency centre closed its doors until autumn. Though we were given free Saturdays, we were also left bereft of spending time with friends, discovering new things and mastering English. County competition was organized, offering all the good ones a chance to show who the best one is. And finally, the new EFL curriculum was published, followed by the start of presentations of the documents amongst the English teachers. Finally, we have joined the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Our regular contributors, Romana and Lara, have also done their part and the story of modern fairy tales written by grammar school students from Čazma continues. If you’re interested in any (or all) of these events, browse Sparkles© pages. As always, there is a little bit of something for everyone. And in the meantime, ignore the fact that the temperatures are not as high as we would like them to be and go outside, look around not to miss nature’s awakening from its winter dream and enjoy spring. Whatever you do, don’t forget to smell the flowers. · I.P.
Or... Did they? is proud to present... Alternative fairy tales written by second grade grammar school students from High school in Čazma. Bloody Riding Hood Written by: Luka Anić https://issuu.com/majaivanovic1/docs/bloody_riding_hood/1
Beauty and the Beast Written by: Tea Milić & Lucija Rukavina http://issuu.com/majaivanovic1/docs/beauty_and_the_beast/1
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Students Return from Successful Erasmus Meeting in Toulouse Three students of the School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar returned from an Erasmus+ funded visit to Toulouse in France. Erasmus+ is a European Union funded project which enables students to visit and study in other European
countries and
the objective of this visit was entrepreneurship and developing an idea for a new product and writing a business plan which will be presented at special conference in Romania next year. During the visit to Toulouse the students stayed with host families, and worked with students from six other European countries. The students attended workshops and presentations with entrepreneurs and visited local companies which included the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, and Terra de Pastel, a company that makes products using a plant called teachers
pastel. The
students and the visited the most interesting sights in Toulouse and Albi, a picturesque city whose episcopal part was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2010. Erasmus+ team is working on the new tasks which include presenting one Croatian niche company and making PEST analysis of the region. Three more students will be visiting Italy in March on the second part of the project. · R.Z.
WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE IN PROVENCE Lena Popadić, Lara Bistrović, Marijana Svrtan, Laura Horvat, Matija Ivan Volšanski and Dominik Tunić are third grade students in the hotel and tourism department of the School of Economics and Tourism in Daruvar. The students are taking part in an EU funded project entitled ‘Westerns’ and recently spent a week in the town of Marignane in southern France. During this visit they were accompanied by the project coordinator Romana Zelda and the headteacher Dinka Ivanović. The aim of the project was to research the history of viticulture in the regions of the partner schools and the importance of the cultivation of different grape varieties and the production of wine. One of the tasks within the project was the design of a logo, which in our case was designed by Martina Andričević. Martina later went on to win the competition and her design became the logo of the project. As well as working on the tasks in mixed groups, which consisted of students from Croatia, France, Slovenia, Greece and Italy, the participants of this project meeting had the chance to enjoy the wonders of Marseille in Provence, and learn more about life in France, particularly as the students were hosted by French families. "The trip to France was my first trip with the project. Of course, France is a beautiful country, the people are very nice and kind, and the experience was wonderful. We met new people, learnt something new from them, mostly their language and sense of humour. I am glad that I had a chance to venture out and broaden my horizons. That is the best way to learn about the culture of another country and their way of life. I hope I will have a chance to travel to other places as part of the school projects," said Lena. Lara added: "This trip to France was fantastic. Not only because we got to know their culture and visited cities we had never been to, but also because I met and became friends with different people who taught us their language and who made sure that all of us had a good time and felt welcome." The greatest value of such projects is the motivation of students to get involved in extracurricular activities and improve their communication, intercultural and information skills, and of course to improve their knowledge of foreign languages. "This was my first trip with the school project. It was a fantastic experience, as I met many new friends. Sadly, the time passed by far too quickly and we had to return to reality! I am hoping that, in the future, I will be able to go on another trip," said Marijana, who, like the other students, wishes to continue taking part in the work, in order to perhaps once again attend some of the project meetings. · R.Z.
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January 22nd was a big day for 179 students from 12 schools in our county who wanted to see how good their English is. Second- and fourth-year students took the test and were listed in four different categories: second year grammar schools students (2A), second year other schools students (2B), fourth year grammar schools students (4A) and fourth year other schools students (4B). The best among them were invited to county competition which took place in Čazma, on February 24th. The atmosphere was great, the students did really well, and the mentors were extremely proud. Here are the results. Congratulations, everyone! · I.P.
Category 2A Student
Mentor
City
Borna Cafuk
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Alen Pačko
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Ivana Štern
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Anita Hanak
Iva Štrkalj
Čazma
Andro Magaš
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Sara Hinić
Tamara Đenadija
Garešnica
Elena Luna Pavlović
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Silvia Podsednik
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Gašpar Dončević
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Lara Lovrić
Tamara Đenadija
Category 2B Student
Mentor
City
Bjelovar
Ivan Ljutak
Antonia Varat
Daruvar
Garešnica
Ivan Meštrić
Smiljka Bujić
Bjelovar
Smiljka Bujić
Bjelovar
Vedran Markanović
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Karlo Čavrag
Tin Pojatina
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Goranga Filić
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Ivana Andričević
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Leon Sedlanić
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Matej Smok
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Ivan Štargl
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Petar Cvetko Voćanec
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Matea Sudetić
Anita Ružić
Daruvar
Matea Kutnjak
Smiljka Bujić
Bjelovar
Category 4A Student
Mentor
City
Igor Radojčić
Inga Mušeta Bajić
Bjelovar
Juraj Markešić
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Vladimir Šeba
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Paula Kovač
Inga Mušeta Bajić
Bjelovar
Matea Đukez
Jasmina Šimek
Daruvar
Category 4B
Martina Manjkas
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Student
Mentor
City
Bruno Hradec
Jasmina Šimeka
Daruvar
Josip Fran
Ljiljana Srebrenović
Bjelovar
Jurica Lukinić
Vesna Bajić Ćesarov
Bjelovar
Domagoj Ozimec
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
Sara Klobučar
Tamara Đenadija
Garešnica
Gabrijela Biškupić
Romana Zelda
Daruvar
Luka Faktor
Antonia Varat
Daruvar
Ivan Prapotnik
Ljiljana Srebrenović
Bjelovar
Luka Pupak
Antonia Varat
Daruvar
Sara Šopalović
Romana Zelda
Daruvar
Anja Smola
Tamara Đenadija
Garešnica
Vedran Ivančić
Martina Čukman
Bjelovar
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April 4 is the day to give special attention to the 600.000.000 stray animals in the world. Dogs and cats should have a home. But stray dogs and stray cats don't. They lead poor and miserable lives on the streets. They are often illfed, suffer from extreme heat or cold, and suffer from diseases. Even more often, they're being chased around by hostile and violent people. But we, as people who care about animals, can do something. April 4 is the day to show compassion, take care, and take action for stray animals all over our planet.
What can YOU do? ~ make a #strayfie ~ share the cause of 4/4 Stray Animals Day with everybody you know ~ adopt a stray dog ~ ask your local animal shelter how you can help ~ support a stray animal organization
April 4th marks World Stray Animals Day, with those dedicated to animal welfare across the world joining together and continuing the push to turn around the lives of stray cats and dogs. It is a global issue that includes our own home. More than 600 million — twice the population of the United State of America — stray animals worldwide will go another day without food, shelter and love they so desperately need and deserve.
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10 Ways to Help End Pet Homelessness (from www.onegreenplanet.org) According to the Humane Society of the United States, “2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs … are put down in U.S. shelters each year.” That’s about one animal every 11 seconds! These statistics are staggering and wholly unacceptable nowadays especially when there are so many ways to help reduce the number of pets that may become homeless or end up in shelters. Two main reasons for pets being in shelters are that guardians give them up, not wanting to care for these loyal pets anymore, or animal control finds them alone on the street. But guess what? There are a number of strategies available today that can help end pet homelessness and you can help them succeed. Just take a look at these 10 simple ways to help! 1. Be a Lost Pet Advocate If you find a lost pet, try helping them get home first before dropping them off at an animal shelter. Here’s something to think about — about 30 percent of lost dogs and 5 percent of cats will be reclaimed at shelters by their guardians. With your help, shelters can be less overcrowded and more pets might be able to find their way home faster. 2. Say NO to Irresponsible Breeding When you support anti-puppy mill initiatives, you are working against irresponsible breeding and animal cruelty. Say no to this horrendous industry and avoid buying animals from pet stores. 3. Go to Bat for Cats About 70 percent of shelter cats end up being killed; this statistic includes strays, feral and surrendered cats. Join a local cat initiative to keep cats safe from being put down by promoting trap-neuter-return (TNR) for feral cats and practicing responsible pet guardianship. 4. Volunteer to Find Forever Families In order for off-site pet adoption events and programs to be successful at finding homeless pets forever families, volunteers like you and organization partnerships are needed. Such events partner with agencies with similar animal welfare concerns to work together to make a difference. 5. Opt to Adopt, Not Shop Unfortunately, many pets bought from pet stores have health issues that can result in pain and suffering and even death. Save healthy homeless pets from being euthanized at overcrowded shelters by giving them a permanent, loving home. Don’t buy a pet, adopt! 6. Fund an Awesome Rescue Group Alongside animal shelters, there are also rescue groups that rescue dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, and other small pets that are breed or issue specific. Shelters and rescue groups are essential in the long term care of animals. By funding animal rescue groups, you can help homeless pets by providing them with needed veterinary care and supplies during their adoption journey. 7. Become a Foster Parent Help to socialize and care for homeless animals by becoming a foster parent to a shelter pet. Being a foster pet parent will lead to fewer shelter pets being euthanized and gives pets more time to find their forever homes while being in a temporary home filled with love. 8. Be a Self-Appointed Pet Reporter Lost and stray pets can get scared and run away from help and may end up reproducing with other street animals, thereby contributing to even more pet homelessness. If you are unable to locate guardians on your own or an animal appears threatening, report any domestic animal you see roaming around your neighborhood to animal control. 9. Curb Pet Homelessness with Spaying and Neutering The homeless pet population can be significantly reduced simply by having your adopted pets spayed or neutered. Not only will this stop overpopulation, but fewer animals will accidentally be born only to be taken to the shelter. Spay and neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation and can ensure that every pet has a family to love them. If you already spay and neuter your companions, then consider supporting local spay/neuter initiatives through volunteer and awareness-raising efforts, or simply by making a monetary donation. 10. Be a Responsible Pet Guardian Don’t be a part of the problem by being an irresponsible pet guardian. Be responsible by micro-chipping your companions, updating pet identification tags, spaying or neutering, and choosing to adopt a pet if and only if you plan to care for them for the remainder of their life.
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1 Determiners One of the simplest ways to show similarities and differences is through use of determiners. Words such as both, all, neither, and none can show how two items are the same. Consider the following sentences.
Both Asia and Europe are continents.
Neither boy plays baseball. Using determiners to show similarities is basic grammar, and even beginning students can use this technique when they speak and write in English. In fact, this type of comparison is simpler than comparison of adjectives. To practice using determiners for comparisons work with a partner to find as many similarities between your home culture and U.S. / UK culture as possible. You should express each similarity using a determiner that shows similarities.
2 Adverbs and Adverb Phrases Adverbs can also be used to show similarities and differences between items. Consider the following sentences.
Jason is an optimist. Jude is an optimist, too.
Jason and Jude have being an optimist in common. It’s the phrase in common, acting as an adverb in the sentence that shows the similarity between Jason and Jude. Other words and phrases that can show similarities in this way are as well, also, in the same way, so do,like, and likewise. To practice using these phrases work with a partner. One person make an observation about a person or an object. For example, The filing cabinet is made of metal. The second person must find another person or thing that also has that quality. E.g. My car is made of metal. The first person then makes a sentence which shows the commonality between the two objects using an adverb or adverb phrase. E.g. The filing cabinet is made of metal and your car is as well.
3 Linking Expressions When we evaluate two things using comparative adjectives, we must necessarily put both of those items in the same phrase. For more advanced sentence structure, you can use linking expressions to compare and contrast in separate clauses. Consider the following sentences:
Asia is larger than Europe.
Jason is more optimistic than Jane.
Jason is an optimist while Jane is a pessimist.
Asia is huge whereas Europe is small. Both sentences express the difference in size for the two continents, but the sentence structure is very different. The first sentence is a simple sentence with only one clause. The second is a complex sentence with one independent clause and one dependent clause. Here is another example. Jason is an optimist, but Jane is a pessimist. The sentences in this pair do not have the exact meaning and are therefore not interchangeable, but both do show a contrast between the two people. Again the second sentence is a complex sentence whereas the first is a simple sentence. While and although are other linking expressions that can be used this way. Although Jason is an optimist, Jane is a pessimist. To practice this method of comparing and contrasting, write several phrases on individual index cards. Each should use a linking expressions. Shuffle the cards and read them to your partner and ask them to complete the sentences logically. You can take several answers for each phrase.
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4 Nouns and Verbs Adjectives are great ways of comparing two items, but you can also use nouns and verbs to show similarities and differences. When they are used for this purpose, the nouns and verbs imply similarities and differences as part of their meaning. Some verbs that compare and contrast are differ, contrast, compare, vary, change, equate, equal, match, and parallel.
Asia contrasts with Europe in size.
The temperaments of Jason and Jude are a match.
Original sentence: My apartment is bigger than his apartment.
Jason and Jude match in temperament. Some nouns that compare and contrast are difference, similarity, contrast, comparison, variance, dissimilarity,change, resemblance, like ness, parallel, connection, and match. Asia and Europe have a dissimilarity in size. To practice using nouns and verbs to show similarities and differences, start with several sentences that use comparative adjectives written out on a worksheet then rewrite the sentences using a noun or verb instead of the comparative adjective. For example, change sentences as follows: Revised sentence: His and my apartment differ in size.
5 Degrees of Similarity Sometimes we want to do more than just say two things are alike or are different. We want to say just how different they are. We want to know the degree of similarity or difference. To express these ideas, English speakers use a word or phrase to modify the adjective they are using. The following phrases express degrees which can be combined with an adjective to say just how similar or different two items are: absolutely the same/different, exactly the same, practically the same/opposite, basically the same/different/opposite, nearly the same, more or less the same/different, quite similar/different, completely the same/ different, totally the same/different, slightly similar/different, and very similar/different. To practice these expressions, try describing just how alike or different people in your class are. Write ten sentences each comparing or contrasting two of your classmates. In each sentence, you should use a phrase that expresses just how alike or different someone is. For example, someone might write the following.
Juan is slightly different in height than MinHo. Abdul and Hen are opposite in their speech volume.
Comparative and superlative adjectives are great, but don’t stop there when it comes to broadening your English.
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uring winter holidays, I was lucky enough to get to visit my best friend Vienna in Germany. I stayed there for one week and enjoyed every second of it. Unfortunately, time passed in a blink of an eye and I soon found myself at the airport, running to catch my flight home. Whilst flying over the Alps (and experiencing mild turbulence that scared me, to be honest), I thought about the fact that I just didn't want to go home. I kept thinking about it and came to the conclusion – home is simply not what most people think it is.
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f you search for the word ''home'' in the dictionary, you'll find out that home is a place where one lives, a residence. Quite obvious, right? I don't think so. I think that home is wherever you feel safe. Actually, home doesn't even have to be a point on the map. If you ask me, it's a feeling rather than a place. ''Home'' is a feeling you get when you're surrounded by people who accept you for who you are and who you want to be. You're home when you can be the weirdest version of yourself and there are still people who are going to love you. I found home in the streets of a city that's approximately thousand kilometres away from where I live. I'm not fluent in German, but I smiled at a stranger who kindly smiled back at me and I suddenly found myself speaking the most beautiful language there is. It's all about the way you treat people and how they respond to it. I found home in my best friend's laughter every single day and the way she hugged me when I had to leave. I found it in the strong heartbeat I felt when I got off the plane and the urge to shout how happy I was. I found home in people walking through the streets and talking about things I'll never know, smiling and being in their own little bubble. I found home in long walks with my best friend and her dog and in a cup of our favourite tea. I've never felt safer in my life.
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hy is it important to feel safe? Well, safety brings confidence. When I feel safe, I swear I'm so happy I could run a mile. I feel confident enough to be myself, even if that's not how people like me. I can sing if I want to (read: Adele car party with my bestie), I can rock red lipstick if I want to, I can walk around with a messy bun and puffy ''I got 0 hours of sleep'' face. Of course people are going to judge me, that's just what people do. Being confident doesn't mean that people won't judge you, it just means that you won't care about it. That's how I feel at home. I feel confident enough to not care about what others think of me. Home is not a house or a cage, it is the freedom that you get by feeling loved, safe and confident enough to be your true self. Some people feel at home in their parents' house, some are at home only in their own room, others wherever their loved ones are... All of those are equally good and valid. I found it far away from where I live and that's okay.
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hink about what home means to you. Maybe you don't really have it figured out yet, but you'll find it eventually. Don't chase it, good things will gravitate to you no matter how far they are. You'll know when you find it, it's the most comforting thing one can possibly feel. It doesn't matter where it is and it doesn't matter what others tell you about it. People think I'm nuts when I say that I'm at home a thousand kilometres away from ''home'', but I couldn't be happier about it. I could never thank my best friend enough for teaching me what home is. Find people that you love, find what makes you feel good. It might take some time, but I promise it's worth it. · L.L.
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225 applicants 16 teachers 18 Saturdays 2 project days 71 person passing the initial testing 62 members of the English Proficiency Centre 50 students receiving the Certificate of attendance
This, in short, is the English Proficiency Centre from Bjelovar-bilogora County. From Here I am, We are beautiful, Pursuit of happiness and No man is an island, over Live to learn, Live to work, To gym or not to gym, Ratatouille, Travellers' tales, Law & Order and Thrift shop to the language of Ars, artis, f., Geek, and finally People who shaped our world – namely William Shakespeare, we spent five months together brushing up our language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing. But more than that – much more than that – we have made new friends and found people who share our passion for learning and teaching English. We had fun, lots of it. And we have discovered once again that when you have a good reason to get up early, even on Saturday, it is not such a hard thing to do.
7th grade
8th grade
Ban Petar; Cvitanović Tajana; Grgić Magdalena; Jurković Tony; Klarić Luka; Majurec Filip; Marić Lucija; Pranjić Matko; Šimunić Andrej and Šimunić Dorotea
Baltić Ana; Bertek Danijela; Dvoraček Elena; Erben Anja; Filipović Matea; Fortuna Dajana; Grgat Ivan Dorian; Janošić Matko; Katušić Krapec Hana; Kelava Domagoj; Podsednik Iveta; Starčević Ena; Štefan Karla and Totgergeli Luka
1st and 2nd grade
3rd and 4th grade
Blazonija Ramona; Hanak Anita; Horvat Filip; Huzjak Nikola; Kravaica Romano; Lekić Luka; Lovrić Lara; Mađerić Lucija; Milić Tea; Pojatina Tin; Pokrivač Mihaela; Skukan Dora; Takač Anamaria and Vlajić Dragana
Bandur Mario; Bubnjić Lucijana ; Čvek Saša; Gelešić Marija; Harambašić Mihaela; Holiček Ivan; Kizma Ivan; Kralj Bistrički Ivan; Najdert Tihana; Palaić Josip; Petrović Antonija and Škalec Domagoj
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400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death which is being commemorated this spring all over the world turned out to be the best possible way to close this year’s English proficiency centre. Though it is not even nearly enough to grasp the Bard’s greatness, we did our best and spent four lessons discussing his life and work. We talked about key events in his life, about his influence on literature all over the world and English as a language. We analysed the most famous quotes, read and wrote sonnets, watched clips from some of his plays, discussed characters and their destinies and had a chance to see a marvellous presentation about his major tragedies, comedies and histories created by Martina Cug. The grand finale was the ultimate William Shakespeare quiz prepared by Maja Ivanović. Working in groups, students answered questions to show how much they have learned. And they did well showing that something may be rotten in the state of Denmark, but surely is not in the English proficiency centre.
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An efficient education system must ensure acquisition of knowledge, skills and values necessary for a successful life in modern society to every student. Since this hasn’t been the case in Croatia, a couple of years ago experts in the field started working on the basis for change. The basis was The Strategy of Education, Science and Technology which was adopted by the Croatian Parliament in October 2014. Then, a little more than a year ago, in February 2015, an expert task force for implementing the comprehensive curricular reform for early, primary and secondary education (one of the measures from The Strategy) was founded and began working. The goal of the curricular reform is to establish a coherent and efficient education system through comprehensive content and structural changes including the following: ~ transition from eight-year to nine-year elementary school ~ developing a new, modern curriculum for each school subject, putting learner in the focus ~ introduction of optional modules in grammar schools, allowing students to choose and focus their learning based on their interests and tertiary education aspirations ~ strengthening work-based learning in vocational education and training to ease students’ transition from education to work ~ giving more autonomy to teachers and schools implementing the curricula. 430 experts from all levels of education and different parts of the country started preparing curricular documents in September 2015. Amongst them were 300 teachers engaged to work full-time on the curricular reform. The entire work was organized in the cloud; there were more than 500 live and almost a thousand online meetings. The first part of the job was completed in January 2016. After the coordination processes (both horizontal and vertical) and the consultation process with various experts apart from task forces for various fields, the documents were edited and published. You can find them on: www.kurikulum.hr. · I.P.
Eleven people were appointed as members of task force for developing the new EFL curriculum. All of them are teachers working in various schools – both elementary and high schools, all over Croatia. They have created a document completely different from the current school programmes; a document which steps away from content-based prescriptions and moves to learning outcomes approach, describing what the learner is expected to know, understand or be able to do as a result of the learning process. The concept on which the EFL curriculum is based are the three domains: Communicative linguistic competence, Intercultural communicative competence and Language learning autonomy. These three domains are the basis for all the learning outcomes which include reception, production, interaction, intercultural experiences, language learning strategies, creative and critical thinking and media literacy. The curriculum also describes the aim of learning and teaching English, teaching goals, connection with other parts of the curriculum, learning environment, the role of the teacher, teaching materials and evaluation and assessment. Learning process will be arranged in a way to stimulate creativity and imagination, develop learners’ investigative and constructive skills as well as their ability to think and reason logically, reflect on outcomes and consequences and apply interesting and realistic contexts that are personally meaningful to them. All in all, the curriculum for the 21st century, aiming for excellence.· I.P.
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