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 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE:
Lara Lovrić, High School “August Šenoa”
Issue 29/16
Garešnica
May/June
Romana Zelda, School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar
And we're finally here summer break! It's been a tough year, full of events, different opportunities and changes. We all hoped these changes would continue into the future—bring progress and prosperity for our education and our country, but unfortunately, the future seems pretty bleak and uncertain in that aspect at the moment. But don't let that ruin your summer. I know everyone has worked really hard and we all deserve some down time to catch our breaths. This is the last issue of Sparkles© for a little while.
We apologize, but we won't be coming back this fall. It seems we need a longer break than just the summer after this year's events. But, do not despair! This isn't farewell, just a temporary bye-bye. So, enjoy reading this issue as much as we enjoyed making it. Keep getting better and better at learning, at English and at being people. Thank you for all your support and contributions in these past three years, and we hope to have it again when we come back. Don't forget— Sparkles©
Or... Did they? is proud to present... Alternative fairy tales written by second grade grammar school students from High school in Čazma.
Anita Ružić, School of Economics and Tourism Daruvar
Inside this issue:
HUPE 2016
3
Confusing sentences...
4
School = Stress
6
Personal Growth
7
Getting smart
10
you! · M.J.
Sleeping Beauty Written by: Dragana Vlajić http://issuu.com/majaivanovic1/docs/ sleeping_beauty_3/1 Little Red Spartan Cloak Written by: Karlo Bjelanović Dijanić & Leonardo Blažeković http://issuu.com/majaivanovic1/ docs/little_red_spartan_cloak/1
The 24th annual HUPE conference was held in April, in Solaris beach resort. It gave us three full days of continuous professional development with a number of plenary talks, workshops for different levels and social events. And of course, time to share your ideas with the colleagues you haven’t seen in a while and coffee with friends who you regularly meet only online. What was it all about? Well, Boris Jokić and the members of the task force for the EFL curriculum development talked about the Comprehensive Curricular Reform, Catherine Walter explained how to challenge the ‘sink or swim’ approach to reading and listening, Suzanne Mordue taught for success, Olha Madylus reminded us of the Simple Steps to Critical Thinking for Kids, Steve Oakes embraced ambiguity and Sarah Giles proved that Shakespeare lives. Paul O’Grady entertained us with the Irish Maiden and Peter Hopwood with The Ultimate Pub Quiz. There were 50 workshops and it was hard to choose where to go. Your editor had two and is happy to say the interest for them was very big. P.S. There is a beach nearby. Actually, very close to the venue. I even got to see it ten minutes before the bus home. · I.P.
*Pictures taken from HUPE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HUPE.hr/
Three students accompanied with three teachers of School of Economics and tourism Daruvar have just returned from a week’s visit to Sardinia in Italy. Ema Makar, Sanja Pizerak and Nikolina Dočkal are members of Erasmus+ Club involved in a project working with six other European schools promoting and learning about entrepreneurship. During the trip the students stayed with host families and visited local businesses and entrepreneurs, which included a visit to a vineyard, cork factory and a recently opened ice cream factory. The students had a chance to enjoy the beautiful Sardinian beaches and visit Alghero. The topic of this meeting was niche market and the students’ task was to present a niche company. The Croatian students decided to present Rimac Automobili as an example of a successful niche market in Croatia. The other task was to make PEST analysis of the region. The visit was supported by the Erasmus+ programme, an EU funded initiative, aimed at encouraging student exchanges and education. The schools involved in the project are from Italy, Romania, Portugal, France, the UK and Spain. The next meeting will be held in Spain in May where our students and their peers from partner countries will continue working on their business plans through their virtual companies. · R.Z.
On April 18, 2016, six students accompanied by two teachers Romana Zelda and Anita Ružić and the headteacher of School of Economics and tourism Daruvar Dinka Kavalir, went on a week’s visit to Padua in Italy. Students Anamarija Herman, Marta Jareš, Andrej Ontl, Katarina Bukač, Ana Kolić and Martina Andričević are involved in Erasmus+ project with four others European schools, which are researching and learning about biodiversity and the use of Shannon index in terms of wine growing. These six students participated in workshops about biodiversity, the ecosystem and positive effects of wine growing on the environment. During the trip the students stayed with host families and visited different vineyards and their cellars. Apart from Padua, the students also visited Venice, San Michele- Mazzorbo, Burano and vineyards of the lagoon. The visit was supported by the Erasmus+ programme, an EU funded initiative, aimed at encouraging students exchanges and education. The other schools involved in the project are from Italy, France, Greece and Slovenia. The next meeting will be held in Croatia in October where our students and their peers from partner countries will continue with their research on wine growing and wine production related to marketing. · A.R.
Taken from: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/confusing-sentences-actually-make-sense/?AT3389=1
Let’s face it: Sometimes the English language can be downright bizarre. The plural of ox is oxen while the plural of box is boxes, ‘rough’ rhymes with ‘gruff’ even though the two words only have two letters in common, and there are actually more than nine hundred exceptions to the infamous “i before e except after c” rule. If you’re still not convinced that the English language is full of oddities and conundrums, take a look at these five wacky sentences that are actually grammatically correct.
Well, talk about lexical ambiguity. But as strange as this sentence might sound, it is actually grammatically correct. The sentence relies on a double use of the past perfect. The two instances of “had had” play different grammatical roles in the sentences—the first is a modifier while the second is the main verb of the sentence.
This famous Groucho Marx joke takes advantage of the fact that the same sentence can often be interpreted in more than one way. The first sentence can be read in two distinct ways: A) The man shot an elephant while he was wearing his pajamas or B) The man shot an elephant that was wearing his pajamas. It’s unclear who is wearing the pajamas—the man or the elephant. Most people interpret the sentence the first way and are subsequently startled to read the second part of the joke.
This is what we call a garden path sentence. Though grammatically correct, the reader’s initial interpretation of the sentence may be nonsensical. In other words, the sentence has taken the reader down a dead-end. Here, “complex” may be interpreted as an adjective and “houses” may be interpreted as a noun. Readers are immediately confused upon reading that the complex houses “married,” interpreting “married” as the verb. How can houses get married? In actuality, “complex” is the noun, “houses” is the verb, and “married” is the adjective. The sentence is trying to express the following: Single soldiers, as well as married soldiers and their families, reside in the complex.
This awkward but grammatically correct sentence is a product of what is known as centre embedding. In English, we can typically put one clause inside of another without any problem. We can take “the man studies Rome” and add a bunch of additional information between the noun and the verb. However, the more information that is added, the harder it is to interpret the sentence.
In this particular case, the sentence conveys the following: The student has the professor who knows the man who studies ancient Rome. Each noun corresponds to a verb (the man studies, the student has). But because of the sentence’s syntax, this is hard to decipher. Remember: just because a sentence is grammatically correct doesn’t mean it is acceptable stylistically.
No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. You read that sentence right—it reads “buffalo” eight times. You see, “buffalo” is a noun that refers to the large, shaggy-maned North American bison, a city in upstate New York, and a verb that means, “to intimidate.” First devised by professor William J. Rapaport in 1972, this notorious sentence plays on reduced relative clauses, different part-of-speech readings of the same word, and centre embedding. It’s also a pretty prime example of how homonyms (words that share spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings) can really confuse things. While it might be hard to parse, the sentence is coherent. If you stare at it long enough the true meaning may even miraculously come to you: “Bison from Buffalo, New York, who are intimidated by other bison in their community, also happen to intimidate other bison in their community.” For further clarification you might also want to check out English indie rock band Alt-J’s song “Buffalo,” which was famously inspired by this conundrum of a sentence and used in the soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated Silver Linings Playbook.
It's the end of the school year and that means only one thing – stress. Parents are freaking out, teachers are sleeping and teaching at the same time and students are trying to survive the last few exams. As much as I love summer and can't wait for it to start, this is my least favourite time of the year. So many students are too exhausted to care about their grades, or they care so much that it's the only thing they can think about. The fact is, school is the main source of anxiety and stress for most teenagers. It makes me think about a huge number of people in this world who hate education because of the way we are taught. I know for sure that each and every one of us considered giving up at one point or another – simply because of school. So many young people are stressed to the point where they cry every day or completely shut down. Dealing with pressure is challenging. One would think that the best thing you can do is talk to your parents, but parents are often the ones who make it worse because of their high expectations. Don't let adults make you feel like your problems aren't valid only because they seem to have it worse. This is your life and your problems. You're allowed to feel and complain and say that you're not okay. So many teenagers keep things to themselves because ''others have it worse''. Don't do that. None of us have it easy. We are all in this together. I hate that people don't care about a girl who can play the guitar like a proper musician, or about kids who spend most of their time painting. I hate that all people ever care about are our grades. I feel like I'm just a number that my calculator shows when I try to calculate the average of my grades. Isn't that sad? Students are more than numbers. We all have different personalities and we are all good at different things. You're not stupid because you're bad at maths. The guy who can calculate the mass of Saturn probably can't draw a flower or sing. You can't be good at everything and that's okay. Just don't let this whole system make you believe you're not good enough because you like things that aren't appreciated at school. I often say that I love learning, but I absolutely hate studying. It might sound rough, but it's true. I hate that I'm forced to know so many useless things by heart when it would be a lot more useful to pay attention to things that actually matter. Please don't let school make you hate learning. School only tests your ability to learn things by heart, not your intelligence. You can always try to learn on your own by picking out books that you like and reading at home. It doesn't have to be a book about science, it can be a novel too. Reading is learning with pleasure, and believe it or not, you do learn a lot by reading. If nothing else, books will at least teach you about life. Thankfully, there's a chance that things might change in the future. I can't wait for the day when a student stops saying ''I want to die'' at least 6 times a day. I can't wait for the day when kids stop feeling stupid and worthless because they failed an exam. I can't wait for the day when someone's ability to analyse a painting is as valid as someone else's ability to interpret a poem. I can't wait to stop being a number. ·L.L.
Since this is the last issue of Sparkles© for the next year or so, instead of concentrating on one aspect of your continuous professional development, we’ve decided to share parts from two wonderful blog posts by Krystina Z. Though she is an entrepreneur and speaks from that perspective, if we look at our job the same way as she understands entrepreneurship – that is as a means to delivering value – we must realize that all starts and ends with selfimprovement. Follow her on https://mindfulentrepreneurship.com.
“When I improve not only my skills, but also my body, my mind, my inner harmony, and my relationships, I provide myself with certain long-lasting value. Simply put, I become a better person. A person who is, or is on the way to be, strong, competent, and well adapted to create value for others. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle would then be the obvious and essential first step. Paradoxically, herein many ambitious entrepreneurs fail. Often, they achieve material success and build prosperous companies, yet their physical constitution insidiously degenerates to the point where they are no longer able to lead a quality life. Or operate their businesses as effectively as they would wish to do. Besides, permanent pressure takes a heavy toll on their ability to deal with stress adequately without restoring to various medications, stimulants, or sedatives. We hear those stories all the time. People suffering from exhaustion, depression, insomnia, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, chronic pain, hormonal imbalance, or cardiovascular diseases are a norm rather than an exception. Stress develops into a normal, not abnormal, state. Mental and communication abilities suffer. Conflict becomes the common modus operandi. Pain never seems to leave. The most important part of your business is you. The key ingredient to your success is you. Also, sometimes the problem with your business is again you. Therefore, healthy body and balanced mind are your first and foremost instruments to build and run a sustainable enterprise. Far more important than smart ideas, money, or the right connections. Because even the most sophisticated ship loses its sense without a helmsman.” (…)
“Imagine an infinite black wall that separates you from the rest of the world. There is only one pin-sized hole through which you can observe what is on the other side. You can’t see much at the beginning but every time you learn something new, the hole gets a tad bigger. It expands slowly, but the more you see, the more motivated you are to learn. Every day you discover things to marvel at, and you can’t get enough. When you talk to people whose peepholes remain small, you struggle to understand each other. Sometimes they hate you. Often they listen to you because you come up with original ideas and solutions to their problems. That’s why you never stop learning. You want to keep broadening horizons of your mind. If you stopped, the hole would start shrinking. And that would be the end. The world is changing every second. But true entrepreneurs like to always stay a few steps ahead. They are those who envisage what the future could look like. They keep their skills and knowledge up to date. They come up with new solutions to old problems. They approach difficult situations in innovative ways. And to avoid stagnation, they constantly foster their creative thinking. You can master a new language or sport, you can learn to communicate better, you can improve your time management skills. There are no limits, whatsoever. Every new skill adds a new facet to your identity. The satisfaction you can reach with material pleasures, on the other hand, is indeed limited. Even if you wake up tomorrow with thousand times more money, it’s unlikely that you will feel thousand times happier. So we should not think about learning merely as an instrument to achieve a specific goal — to receive better grades or to attain a promotion. Learning is a nurturing process that helps you grow from a teeny wrinkled seed to a stout and graceful tree. The greatest gift of life is that we can become whoever we want, at any age. And the best thing is that we don’t need anyone’s sanction.” (…)
When you accept the fact that the world you have created in your head is not real and that any obstacles that prevent you from being successful in life are those you have fabricated yourself, many doors will begin opening in front of you. New solutions, new opportunities. Newly found inner harmony. You wake up every day determined to work on yourself so that you can lead a fulfilling life and help others improve their own. You keep your eyes and ears open to make your mind and emotions work for you, not against you. You slowly get rid of the garbage you have accumulated over the years. The false presumptions, beliefs, and grievances that hinder your reasoning, spur bad emotions, and all in all hurt your soul as such. All three major parts that constitute your being (body, soul, spirit) are inseparably linked. If the soul suffers, the body is ill, and the spirit muted. When you manage to control harmful thoughts and emotions, your body becomes naturally healthier and stronger, often much more so than by using some miracle pills or various medical treatments. When you start ignoring limitations you’ve imposed on yourself, your spirit will awaken to help you live up to your potential. And having these three working in unison, you will not only reveal but also feel what your purpose as a human is. Purpose is the most important thing to encounter within your lifetime, besides love. Purpose gives transcendent meaning to your actions. Love makes you feel wanted and connected. Both purpose and love are manifestations of one thing: “I belong”. When we experience these two, things make sense. Our decisions, choices, even our mistakes. And the business we build doesn’t hinge on success or failure. It has its definitive purpose in itself. It creates value. It has positive social impact. It is worthy. The concordance of our individuality and our reality stands on 4 pillars: Learning, Value, Purpose, and Belonging. We learn, we develop, we grow. The better we are, the better we help others grow. And the more we give, the more we receive. When we tap into our purpose, our knowledge, skills, and energy help us achieve exactly what we need to achieve and what we want to achieve.
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Learning a second language is a long process where you will experience different levels of fluency. The most important thing students can do is keep their head in the game and persevere through days when speaking a second language is profoundly frustrating. To prevent students from giving up or feeling overwhelmed it’s essential for teachers to keep track of progress and let students know when they have stepped up to the next level of achievement. If a student has a hard time, they can look back at their progress sheet and compare their skills from that time to their current ability. Tracking progress is one of the best motivational tools available to students and teachers.
6 Methods for Helping ESL Students Stay Informed of Progress 1 Note-taking It’s important for students to keep all of their notes even if that means having binders for multiple years. When students are starting to feel their motivation slip away, they can look back at the previous semester or year and see how far they’ve come. The teacher can go over a portion of the notes and show students specifically where they've improved. They can look at the subjectverb agreement, clarity and concision, or just overall improvement. If a teacher thinks their students will throw notes away, it's a good idea to keep samples from throughout the year. 2 Setting Short-term Goals The long-term goal is to become conversational and then fluent. However, this will leave students working towards something they won't achieve for many months. It’s beneficial to set short-term goals where students can track their progress in real time. For example, maybe they can successfully order a cup of coffee at the local cafe or read and comprehend a chapter book written in English. Short-term goals keep students motivated.
3 Tracking Benchmarks It's also important for students to be able to track major achievements. The first time they're able to write a whole paragraph in English is a really big deal. The first time they have a fruitful conversation with a native speaker should be celebrated. Some students may be hesitant to mention that they’ve reached a new goal, or they may simply not notice it. If teachers can track their student’s benchmarks, creating a makeshift timeline, they can go over this with their students each semester and discuss genuine progress. 4 Recording Speech Progress Most ESL students are anxious about talking aloud. However, this is the only way they'll become conversational. If possible, the instructor can record their student’s voices and compare it from month to month. Students who are shy, but hear an improvement, will be more motivated to continue with their studies. 5 Grammar Tracker It's also beneficial to track a student's grammar skills. At first an essay might be challenging to read and understand but, over time, it will become readable and then fluent. Each will struggle with one or two specific elements, so if the instructor can identify the issue and track the progress over time, they can share this information with students and continuously adjust learning goals. 6 Real Life Situations One of the biggest ways to track progress is through real life situations. When students first start their English language adventures, they may not be able to get around without the help of a native speaker. However, once they can order lunch by themselves or get their shopping done without help, they have experienced an everyday situation that makes their life a lot easier. If students are getting frustrated, the instructor can bring up the fact that they weren't able to order a cup of coffee six months ago and now they can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner.